Russia-EU phytosanitary rifts must not be linked to WTO issue - Russian diplomat
MOSCOW. June 7 (Interfax) - Russia is categorically against linking the remaining disputable issues with the European Union in the sanitary and phytosanitary spheres to talks on Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization.
"We hope no attempts will be made to artificially link this separate problem in our relationships to Russia's accession to the WTO," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview with Interfax.
Grushko was commenting on EU representative in Moscow Fernando Valenzuela's statement to the effect that Russia must abide by all of the WTO standards even before it joins this organization.
"Russia has in fact been abiding by WTO standards for a long time now and all of the key issues in its relationships with the EU were closed back in 2004. Concerning cooperation in the sanitary and phytosanitary spheres, it is a separate area where Russia and the EU have achieved much. I don't think I will make a mistake if I say that we have harmonized 90% of the standards in sanitary and phytosanitary control. But 10% remain unagreed upon, which include rather serious problems, such as the maximum permissible content of antibiotics in food. This issue is not a subject of political talks. It must be resolved at the level of research" he said.
