Popovic stressed that it is very important for both Serbia and Russia to fully utilise the advantages provided by the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries and expressed hope that the export of Serbian products into Russia would grow.
The Deputy Speaker also drew attention to the considerable importance of cooperation between Serbian and Russian agricultural science research institutions which, he explained, can significantly contribute to product quality and boost the goods exchange between the two countries.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Pavel Semenov, said that the current scope of agricultural exchange between the two countries is 250 million USD, but the conditions have been met to double the goods exchange as soon as next year.
According to him, the export of agricultural produce from Russia across the world in the first quarter of 2013 was 86% higher than in 2012, stressing that the quality and importance of some Serbian scientific research institutions, such as the Zemun Polje Maize Research Institute, is well-known across Russia. He believes that agricultural science research will be greatly improved.
The Head of the Moscow Department of Trade and Services, Alexei Nemeryuk, said that Serbia should profit from the fact that Moscow has a great need for goods, stressing that the yearly goods exchange between Serbia and Moscow amounts to 60 million USD.
The Russian delegation comprised Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Pavel Semenov, Director of the Department of Agrifood Market Regulation, Fisheries, Food Processing Industry at the Ministry of Agriculture Mikhail Orlov, Head of the Moscow Department of Trade and Services Alexei Nemeryuk, as well as several representatives of big Russian trade companies.