Skopje asks Russia to cut customs rates

Skopje asks Russia to cut customs rates

SKOPJE -- Macedonia has asked Russia to lower its customs rates for agriculture and food industry products that Macedonia exports to that country.

The announcements was made by Macedonian Deputy PM and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski, who added that a previous request for a free trade agreement to be signed between Skopje and Moscow "still stands."

"The Russian market has 144 million consumers and represents a great challenge for Macedonian companies. Last year our trade reached EUR 138 million, 38 million of which were Macedonian exports," he said.

According to Stavreski, in 2014, trade with Russia amounted to only 1.5 percent of Macedonia's foreign trade.

Stavreski explained that Macedonia exported some EUR 15 million worth of agricultural produce to Russia in 2014, and also sold pharmaceutical and other products, importing at the same time Russian gas, oil, raw materials, and intermediate goods for metal industry.