Putin and Erdogan agreed on everything except tomatoes
The leaders of Russia and Turkey agreed to lift trade restrictions.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this today at a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Erdogan.
“There are sensitive things, like tomatoes. We asked our Turkish partners to understand that life moved on after these restrictions were introduced. Our agricultural producers have taken out a significant amount of loans. This is a fairly long production cycle, associated in our climatic conditions with the construction of greenhouse structures. We are interested in ensuring that the agricultural sector in Russia develops, and that those who took out loans under state guarantees do not end up broke. When this cycle ends, we will let you know,” Putin said.
Erdogan confirmed that the import of tomatoes is the only unresolved issue.
“Except for tomatoes, we came to agreement on all issues. Undoubtedly, we would like Turkish tomatoes to be on the Russian market. They are tasty and cheap. This is advice to our partners. But more suitable temporary options can be found,” Erdogan said.
Putin noted that the Russian market is not closed to Turkish tomatoes completely and not forever.
“Turkish tomatoes are cheaper, and we are interested in our consumers receiving a cheaper product. In addition, there are periods of the year when we cannot meet the needs of our market with our own production. Since we purchase imports at this time of year, our Turkish partners should not be discriminated against. We do not plan to permanently close our market to tomato imports. After the investment cycle ends, this part of our market will also be liberalized,” Putin said.
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