PRESS RELEASE

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Lift Food Embargo on Greece, Duma Member Submits Proposal to Putin

July 16, 2015 (EIRNS)— A member of the Russian State Duma, Andrei Krutov, proposed to lift the food import ban for Greece, because Russia cannot produce the agricultural products it used to import from Greece, the newspaper Izvestia reported. Russia had slapped the embargo on a number of EU countries, including Greece, in retaliation for the EU sanctions against Russia.

The proposal to lift the embargo on Greece was submitted to President Vladimir Putin by Krutov, a member of "A Just Russia" party.

Krutov said the measure will have a positive effect both for Greece and Russia. He added that the cooperation between the two countries would be developed through supranational institutions, including the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and BRICS. Russia has already offered to have Greece join the BRICS New Development Bank. "Greece is a reliable partner for Russia. Between 2010 and 2013 trade between the two countries doubled," Krutov said.