Serbia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic spoke yesterday in Moscow with Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov

Ljajic said that the meetings addressed several topics and that it was concluded that there is potential for increasing the volume of trade between the two countries.

He said that the Serbian side proposed that some products are placed in the free trade under the General agreement on free trade that our country has with Russia.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that sugar, cheese, cigarettes and cars should be under the duty free regime and noted that the Russian side will consider the request of Serbia.

Russia will make this decision within the framework of a joint commission with Kazakhstan and Belarus, given that there is a customs union of the three countries and a decision has to be made at that level.

Ljajic confirmed that Minister of Finance and Economy Mladjan Dinkic during a visit to Moscow in April will talk about the possibility of duty-free export of cars from Serbia to Russia.

According to him, the conclusion of the meeting with Fyodorov is that there is a possibility of increasing exports of agricultural products from Serbia to Russia.

Fyodorov noted that the volume of agricultural trade already next year could be increased from $250 to $500 million, due to the fact that Serbia has not used all of its quota for exports, as is the case with meat.

Ljajic and Fyodorov reached an agreement that representatives of three largest retail chains and the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia visit Serbia.

They also discussed the case of high concentrations of pesticides in apples that appeared on the Russian market.

President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Milos Bugarin, who together with Deputy Speaker of the Serbian Parliament and Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of Friendship with Russia Nenad Popovic is part of the Serbian delegation, presented Minister Manturov 45 different projects that may be of interest to Russian companies.

These are the companies that are in the process of privatisation. Representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia will arrange meetings with business people in Russia, who will be presented these projects, reads a statement issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications. Source: Serbian Government