"The aim of Austrian President Heinz Fischer's visit to Russia was to prepare us for cooperation following the lifting of the embargo," Rupprechter said.
He added that Vienna was interested in mending bridges with Moscow because Austrian agricultural exports had dropped by 50 percent since the introduction of the Russian food embargo, imposed as a countermeasure to the EU sanctions against Russia.
Relations between Russia and the European Union member states, including Austria, went downhill in 2014, when Brussels joined Washington in accusing Moscow of fueling the Ukrainian crisis and imposed several rounds of sanctions as a punitive measure.
Moscow has refuted the allegations, warning that the Western sanctions are counterproductive. In response to the Western measures, in August 2014, Russia announced a one-year food embargo on some products originating in states that imposed sanctions against it. The ban has since been extended for another year.
