MOSCOW, August 20 (RIA Novosti) – Iceland intends to increase exports of fish and fish products to Russia and hopes to find new suppliers to the market following Russia’s food-import ban on products from the European Union, Commercial Representative at the Icelandic Embassy in Moscow Ilona Vasilieva told RIA Novosti.
"Our suppliers have stepped up and new buyers appeared in Russia. The major item of Icelandic exports to Russia is fish and fish products, and we hope the supply of this product grows," Vasilieva said.
The trade representative also said Iceland, which is not part of the European Union, hoped for its dairy enterprises to be certified to export to Russia, as well.
"Besides, we deliver large volumes of meat to Russia. Perhaps, by Russian standards those deliveries are not so big, but for Iceland, Russia is the second-largest market for meat products, which include mutton, horse meat and lamb," Vasilieva said.
"Our supplies go on as they used to, but we hope our volumes will increase and new suppliers to the Russian market will appear," Vasilieva said.
The trade representative added that Iceland is not considering replacing Russia as an export market, even after Moscow introduced a one-year ban on agricultural and food product imports from countries that imposed sanctions on Russia over the Ukrainian crisis. The legislation, signed by President Vladimir Putin at the beginning of August, banned Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United States and Norway from importing meat, poultry, fish, seafood, milk, dairy products, and fruit and vegetables.
Earlier in the day, the Russian government published an amended list of embargoed goods, which now includes live fish but excludes lactose-free dairy products.
Norwegian media reported earlier that Norwegian companies were looking for alternative markets for their produce and considered selling its fish via Iceland or the Faroe Islands. Russia is Norway's largest market for fish and seafood.
Experts say Iceland's fish deliveries to Russia will grow dramatically in the near future.
Moscow said it is ready to review the terms of its import restrictions if its Western partners show a commitment to dialogue.
