On the 2nd of February Ishkhan Karapetyan, the Head of the State Service for Food Safety of MoA of RA received a delegation headed by Lieutenant-General Anatoly Mikheev, the Head of the Border Department of the Russian Federal Security Service in Armenia. Ashot Harutyunyan, Deputy Minister of Agriculture as well as officials of the Border Department attended the meeting.
Ishkhan Karapetyan highly appreciated the bilateral cooperation between the Service and Border Department of the Russian Federal Security Service and expressed his willingness to continue good cooperation ensuring epidemiological proper status.
During the meeting epidemiological situation of the country (region-wise) and applied measures for preventing the entry of infectious animal diseases to the territory of Armenia and the cooperation on these matters were discussed.
Taking into account geographical location of Armenia and risks of infectious diseases the parties touched upon avian influenza detected in 9 regions of Islamic Republic of Iran
(import from Iran is temporarily restricted). In the meantime, they highlighted the need of strengthening control over the movement of agricultural animals.
Hovhannes Mkrtchyan, Head of the Veterinary Inspection of the Service and Andranik Asatryan, Head of the Veterinary-Sanitary Service of Border Department introduced current epidemiological situation. Arrangements were made on the information exchange procedures. Anatoly Mikheev highlighted the preventive measures in the territories under their surveillance emphasizing the support both of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Service with relevant specialists and veterinary laboratory.
In the result of negotiations a protocol was signed by two parties stipulating the directions of the cooperation and upcoming steps.
At the end of the meeting Anatoly Mikheev was awarded a letter of acknowledgement for effective cooperation on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture.