BERLIN (Sputnik) — Tkachev is on the EU sanctions list, introduced over the Ukraine crisis. The minister planned to participate in the food and agriculture trade International Green Week in Berlin.
"In the face of such discrimination, the Russian government had no choice but to bow out of participating in the 2016 Green Week on the level of federal executives," the diplomatic mission said in a statement.
Green Week is the largest food fair in Europe. It will take place on January 15-24 and is expected to be attended by agricultural ministers from across the globe. Last year, it drew over 1,700 participants from 68 countries.
