Posted on 01/11/17
| News Source: Algemeiner
After a three-year examination process, Russia has approved the importation of Israeli dairy products, the Hebrew news site nrg reported on Wednesday.
The main consumers of these products, the report said, are expected to be Russian Jews who observe kashrut laws.
Israeli dairy companies, according to the report, currently export goods to around three dozen countries in Asia, Europe and North America.
Israeli Agriculture Ministry data shows that 3,180 tons of dairy products are shipped from the Jewish state to Asia annually. Europe is the destination of 2,292 tons and 1,456 tons are sent to the US and Canada.
Dr. Shlomo Grazi — the ministry’s chief veterinary doctor for import and export — said the exports to Russia would benefit the Israeli economy and bolster the country’s reputation in the dairy world.
Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel pointed to the news as a further sign of warming ties between Israel and Russia.
Furthermore, he said, “we will continue to expand the Israeli agricultural export circles to other countries.”
Since the fall of 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met with Russian President Vladmir Putin four times and the two have also spoken by phone on numerous other occasions. A key issue at the top of the agenda during their conversations has been preventing unnecessary friction between the IDF and the Russian military detachment that is operating in Israel’s northeastern neighbor Syria.