The leaders of two embattled countries, Greece and Russia, are set to meet this week, with both Tsipras and Putin keen on strengthening his hand vis-à-vis the rest of Europe.
Athens’s chief goal seems to be to persuade Moscow to lift the ban on Greek soft fruit, although some analysts suggest Russia could be prepared to offer billions in rescue loans in exchange for a Greek veto on sanctions, the Financial Times reported.
In the January-to-October period last year, Greek exports of fresh fruit and vegetables fell by 4 per cent in value terms to €765m compared with the same period in 2013. This despite an increase of around 8 per cent in overall volumes exported.
Unable to enter the Russian market, Greek produce has instead been shipped to countries including Serbia, Macedonia and Albania, at considerably reduced prices.
According to Freshmarket.eu, exports of Greek fruit and vegetables to Russia during the January-to-October period last year fell by 31.1 per cent in volume terms and 35.1 per cent in value terms.
According to Moscow, although the country is keen to soften the ban’s impact on Greece, a full Greek exemption could be impossible due to global trade rules.
Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia’s food hygiene regulator, said that planned inspections of Greek producers should not be regarded as a sign that the embargo would be lifted early.
