OREANDA-NEWS. October 12, 2009. Russia will drop the ban on dairy imports from Lithuania if its products meet Russian and EU quality standards, Transportation Minister Igor Levitin said at a briefing in Vilnius.

Levitin is co-chairman of Russian-Lithuanian intergovernmental commission.

At a meeting with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vygaudas Usackas, Levitin said that Russia did not plan to make exceptions for any EU member.

Levitin said he contacted the Russian officials responsible for dairy imports on Thursday. They said there were no restrictions on import of quality products.

"We signed an agreement on dairy product standards with the EU and cannot relax those standards for any EU country. Therefore, Russia asks Lithuanian dairy producers to comply with EU standards," he said. Usackas, who is the Lithuanian co-chair of the commission, noted that some Russian standards were more stringent than EU standards.

Lithuania's share of the Russian market in dairy products is approximately 5%. It believes that share can be increased.

It was reported earlier that leading Lithuanian dairy concerns Rokiskio pienas, Pieno zvaigzdes and Zemaitijos pienas have resumed exports to Russia. Production from Rokiskio suris has been taken under special control.

Russia imposed the ban on Lithuanian dairy imports on August 17 after detecting unacceptably high levels of antibiotics.