Poland expects Russia to negotiate with Brussels on meat ban; no bilateral talks - foreign minister

WARSAW.  - Poland expects Russia to negotiate with the European Union regarding an ongoing ban on Polish meat exports and will not hold bilateral talks on this and related issues, Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga told a Thursday press conference.

"It is a gentlemanly agreement within the European Union that […] negotiations on the meat embargo are conducted by the European Commission and now by the German presidency," Fotyga said. "Bilateral relations are at the moment halted."

Her comments follow an Interfax report detailing how Fotyga failed to react to a March invitation by her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, for a working visit to Moscow. While stressing the lack of reaction did not equal to a refusal of the invitation, Fotyga said she would not accept the invitation - unless Russia lifts its ban on Polish meat exports.

Moscow banned Polish meat and other food exports in November 2005 citing violations of veterinary standards, a charge Poland denies. A year later, Poland retaliated by lodging a veto to the European Commission's negotiating mandate for a new partnership and cooperation agreement with Moscow, thus dragging Brussels into the conflict.

The EC has said Poland had adequately addressed Russia's concerns and called for an immediate lifting of the ban.

"The European Union and Russia are two parties to this conflict," Fotyga said. "There is no third party, [such as] Poland, in all this."

Poland has charged Russia with attempts to split the EU by discriminating against Warsaw and other new members of the 27-nation bloc.

"An embargo, in [times of] good relations, is a kind of declaration of war," Fotyga said. "It is a very sharp tool. We do not understand Russia's use of it."

The minister also said she had never refused an invitation to Russia.

"I have never refused a visit to Moscow. Such visits always take months to prepare."