Dalia Grybauskaite: Lithuania should appeal to WTO over Russian dairy import ban

Lithuania should prepare to appeal to the World Trade Organization because of the problem of dairy products export to Russia, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite told reporters on Monday. The president said she had instructed the government to take steps to normalize relations with Russia. However, the cabinet did nothing, while the problems of border crossing for Lithuanian freight carriers and export of dairy products to Russia only worsened. In this situation, Lithuania should prepare to appeal to the WTO over the obstructions made by Russian authorities to Lithuania in trade, Grybauskaite said. Unlike the president, the government does not dramatize the situation. It is important to continue to work and export dairy products, meat and cattle, Premier Algirdas Butkevicius noted. Vilnius said there was no official notification so far about the ban imposed by Russian authorities on imports to Russia due to low quality of Lithuanian dairy products. Agriculture Minister Vigilijus Jukna does not see reasons to ask the WTO for assistance. "We have no official documents confirming the ban. So, there are no reasons to appeal to international organizations for help," he noted.