23/7 Tass 102
NOVO-OGARYOVO, July 23 (Itar-Tass) — Belarus sticks to its commitments under a dehydrated milk agreement with Russia and exports no such products to Russia in order not to infringe upon interests of Russian farmers, Russian Minister of Agriculture Elena Skrynnik said on Saturday.
“Russia has stuck a balance with Belarus, and they never violate this balance,” she said at a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. “That is why in the period of ‘big milk’ we see to it that no milk powder is imported. It is a big help to our farmers.”
According to the minister, practically no milk powder is imported from other countries, and “thanks to the fact that we have structured our relations with Belarus, as a biggest supplier of dehydrated milk, the situation is stable.”
Belarus has suspended its milk whey and milk powder supplies to the Russian market since May 18. An agreement to this effect was signed by chairman of Russia’s Union of Milk Producers Andrei Danilenko and Belarusian Minister of Agriculture and Food Mikhail Russky in Minsk.