Historical meeting in Berlin

18.01.2010

For the first time after the restoration of independence in Estonia, the Minister of Agriculture of Estonia met the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Zubkov and the Minister of Agriculture of Russia Jelena Skrõnnik, who invited him to Moscow to discuss the development of bilateral agricultural relations and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation.

 „Regarding foodstuffs, Russia has always been an important trading partner for Estonia, but at state level our cooperation has been modest so far,“ told the Minister of Agriculture of Estonia Helir-Valdor Seeder. „The high-level meeting held yesterday allows us to believe that our cooperation will start to improve.“

The future cooperation between the two countries will primarily concern the export and import of food products and the problems of fisheries. In the future, a High-Level Working Group will be established on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation to be signed in Moscow. The Group will meet at least once a year, also enabling consultations on current trade problems.

After the restoration of independence in Estonia, the Minister of Agriculture of Estonia has never met the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture of Russia. At the meeting, the general situation of agriculture in the context of the global economic downturn and the importance of Grüne Woche, the biggest food fair of the world taking place for the 75th time this year, were also discussed.

Additional information:
Peeter Seestrand
Deputy Secretary General for Foreign Affairs and Development
phone: + 372 6256 105
e-mail: peeter dot seestrand at agri dot ee

Hindrek Riikoja
Deputy Head of Public Relations Department
phone: +372 6256 255, +372 53 030 865
e-mail: hindrek dot riikoja at agri dot ee