Russia's foreign minister said on Wednesday he hopes a poultry dispute with the U.S. will be resolved soon.
Russia banned imports of U.S. chlorine-treated poultry as of January 1, citing new safety requirements. Washington, which supplied 22% of poultry consumed in Russia last year, says the move will damage American poultry industry and push prices up for Russian consumers.
Lavrov said talks in Moscow last week showed that "technologically, American poultry producers are prepared to observe the [new Russian] standards" which correspond to European rules.
"Let us hope the issue will be resolved," he told reporters after talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Speaking about the talks, Lavrov said "the American side expressed its wishes related to the poultry dispute," and Russian officials voiced concerns about persistent discriminatory U.S. restrictions on trade with Russia.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin earlier called the Cold War-era Jackson-Vanik Amendment that linked U.S. trade to emigration rights an anachronism and said it hinders Russia's entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
LONDON, January 27 (RIA Novosti)
