By Chesney Hearst, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Dilma Rousseff met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow, Thursday, December 13th, to discuss strengthening ties between the two nations. Medvedev travels to Brazil in February and Rousseff took the opportunity to invite him to stay and watch the Carnival, which reportedly he accepted.
“The joint work of our countries in the BRICs, in the G-20 and the IMF is critical for us to advance the agenda of cooperation, but also the reform agenda of international bodies,” said Rousseff.
Russian Prime Minister Medvedev said: “The relationship between Brazil and Russia is booming. We have several good projects. But that does not mean that everything is resolved. We have problems to solve and the government of Russia is open to resolve all these issues.”
One trade issue addressed during the talks was that of Russia’s ban on imports of meat, the main Brazilian export to Russia.
An ongoing issue since 2011, Moscow had banned the meat produced in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná and Mato Grosso due to health issues including concerns over the addition of the drug Ractopamine to the cattle’s feed.
“The Prime Minister, Medvedev told me that we will have a positive result,” said Rousseff. “[He has] not informed me of the final decision, but believes that Brazilian producers have taken all measures and have a positive outcome in the end.”
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