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January 22 2015, 15:48 Sputnik News

Russia not planning to lift EU food imports ban

Russia currently has no plans to cancel the ban on the import of foodstuffs from the European Union as it depends on the lifting of the Western sanctions against the country, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said Wednesday.

"There are no plans to lift [food import bans] and everything depends on what happens with [western] sanctions," Dvorkovich said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

"This embargo is an instrument so that our producers have the possibility to operate in more competitive conditions because they currently cannot get any money from banks at the [interest] rates that were available before the sanctions," Dvorkovich added.

In August 2014, Moscow introduced a one-year ban on the import of certain food products from the United States, the European Union and other countries that earlier imposed economic sanctions against Russia over its alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. The products affected include meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy, fruit and vegetables.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that the ban on Western food products could contribute to the development of the domestic market and boost competition.

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