Lithuania offers to help settle row over Polish food exports to Russia

Lithuania offered on Saturday to check the sanitary standards of Polish food to help break a diplomatic stalemate caused by a Russian embargo on imports of Polish meat. The row has prompted Warsaw to obstruct talks on a new treaty between Russia and the European Union.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas "proposed that Poland make use of the services of Lithuanian experts to assess the quality of its food," the Lithuanian government press service told Interfax after a meeting in Warsaw between Kirkilas and his Polish counterpart, Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

"The Lithuanian prime minister said during the conversation that he understood Poland's position on this issue," the press service said.

Kirkilas and Kaczynski "came to an agreement to look for a solution to this problem," it said.

Poland refuses to lift its veto on talks on a new EU-Russia partnership and cooperation agreement before the EU takes a harder line regarding Russia's trade and energy policy.
Source:interfax.ru