The Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control Service of Russia lifted the suspension of five banana exporting companies from Ecuador.
Reference image of washing export bananas.
The Foreign Ministry of Ecuador reported on Friday, February 16, that the Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control Service of Russia has lifted restrictions on five Ecuadorian banana exporters.
In a video shared by the Foreign Ministry, Juan Fernando Holguín Flores, Ecuador’s ambassador to Russia, expressed that this decision “is an example of the importance of the dialogue that must exist at all times between two countries.”
A day before, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador announced that a mission of authorities would travel to Russia to discuss the suspension of Ecuadorian companies.
A suspension in the middle of a diplomatic impasse
On February 2, the Russian phytosanitary authority asked the Minister of Agriculture of Ecuador, Franklin Palacios, to suspend five banana exporters.
Russia argued an alleged systematic detection of the fly Megaselia scalaris, known as the humpback fly and carrier of cholera, in Ecuadorian bananas. It is a pest “considered dangerous for Russia and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union.”
This veto affected 25% of total fruit exports to Russia, which is the main destination for national bananas.
The suspension occurred in the middle of a diplomatic impasse between the two countries, because the Government of Ecuador announced that it will deliver weapons donated by Russia to the United States, to be sent to Ukraine.
The Russian government made public its displeasure at this intention, which it described as a “thoughtless” decision. Although at no point does the Russian statement speak of retaliation on the economic level.
*News in development…
