Poland open to talks with Ukraine says gov't spokesman
Poland is open to talks regarding a Ukrainian proposal to work out a new memorandum on cooperation following Poland's ban on Ukrainian food amid protests by Polish farmers, a Polish government spokesman has said.
The Polish government on Saturday authorised the agriculture and development ministers to implement a temporary ban on Ukrainian food amid protests by Polish farmers who are angry about depressed prices and problems in selling their grain and other produce. The ban is to be in force until June 30.
In response to the ban, the Ukrainian Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food asked the Polish side on Saturday to work out a new memorandum on cooperation and jointly examine all the abuses.
Farmers have held protests across the country, complaining against the inability to sell their grain as storage space has already been taken by cheaper Ukrainian grain. The imports, which were originally planned to be sent further to the Middle East and Africa, ended up in Poland depressing local prices. Similar problems have affected other agricultural products as well, including poultry and eggs.
"The Polish government made this decision due to the lack of other effective solutions which were to stabilise the agri-food market in Poland," Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller told PAP in a comment to the Ukrainian proposal.
"This was a necessary decision. Several weeks ago, we informed the European Commission about this situation in a joint letter with Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary," Mueller said, adding that it had happened on Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's initiative.
"As the EC had not taken any satisfying moves in this field, we were forced to take a step on the national level," Mueller added.
"Of course, we are open, talks are planned for the near future," Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said, adding that a meeting with the Ukrainian side was likely to be held on Monday.
The Ukrainian ministry wrote on Saturday that Ukraine was ready to cooperate with Poland to detect all the abuses which had led to the current situation, and added that "all crisis situations should force the two countries to more closely cooperate in all spheres to get rid of the original cause of all these problems, namely the Russian aggression." (PAP)
