As the two countries grow closer amidst Western sanctions, six Iranian food producers have been given permission to import their products into Russia, news agency RIA Novosti reported Monday.
Export permits for the companies, which were not named, cover four milk and two poultry producers, Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Inspection Service press secretary Yulia Melano said.
However, exports to Russia will only begin once the companies complete an additional set of tests to ensure their products are safe to eat. "Deliveries can only start following the completion of an additional set of requirements, which will guarantee complete safety," Melano said, RIA reported.
Russia's relationship with Iran, which has long been under U.S. sanctions tied to its nuclear program, has developed significantly since the U.S. and EU imposed sanctions on Moscow tied to its role in the Ukraine crisis.
In April Russia decided to lift a self-imposed embargo on selling powerful S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Iran, and earlier, in August, agreed to supply Tehran with food in return for oil.
Food imports from Iran may also help cool Russia's high food price inflation, driven by a fall in the ruble's value and a one-year ban begun last August on food imports from countries sanctioning Moscow.
Milk and milk product prices rose 14.5 percent in April compared to the same period last year while meat and chicken prices rose 23.4 percent, state statistics agency Rosstat reported.
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