Russia strengthens control over food imports from Turkey

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. According to Russia's Minister of Agriculture, Moscow will boost control over the delivery of agricultural and food products from Turkey.

As “Armenpress” reports, the Russian government has instructed the country's agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor tostrengthen control overthe products imported fromTurkey, the Russian minister ofagriculture said Thursday.

"Given the repeated violations ofRussian standards byTurkish producers, the Russian government has instructed the Rosselkhoznadzor tointroduce strict controls overthe delivery ofagricultural and food products fromTurkey and arrange additional checks atthe border and atproduction sites inthe Republic ofTurkey," Alexander Tkachev said asquoted bythe ministry's press service.

According tothe minister, onaverage, 15 percent ofTurkish agricultural products do not comply withRussian standards. He added that the Russian authorities detected residues ofbanned and harmful substances inthe Turkish products ofanimal origin 40 times sincethe beginning ofthe year.

On Wednesday, Russian media reported that local authorities could impose restrictions onimports fromTurkey asa responsive measure tothe downing ofthe Su-24 jet while Rosselkhoznadzor announced health and sanitary claims againsta Turkish company specializing inpoultry production and processing.

On Tuesday, a Russian Su-24 jet crashed inSyria. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the plane was downed byan air-to-air missile launched bya Turkish F-16 jet overSyrian territory, falling 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) fromthe Turkish border. Putin described the Turkish attack asa "stab inthe back" carried outby "accomplices ofterrorists."