Russian presidential envoy discusses issues related to free trade agreement with South Korean Deputy PM

SEOUL, February 13. /TASS/. A free trade agreement between Moscow and Seoul may be signed fairly quickly if several items are taken out of it, Russia’s Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev told reporters following the talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki and head of the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation Kwon Goo-hoon in Seoul on Wednesday. According to Trutnev, South Korea regularly raises the issue of the free trade agreement, though the document has been discussed for quite a long time already. He added that the issue was also touched upon during the recent talks with the country’s Deputy PM. Presidential envoy particularly suggested that "certain extractions be made (from the document) in the areas, in which (Moscow) still considers it necessary to protect Russian manufacturers" for signing the agreement as soon as possible. He mentioned car manufacturing as an example, noting that if Korean carmakers enter the Russian market free of tariffs that will be a major setback on the local car industry. "Deputy PM agreed, saying that he believes we could do it that way," Trutnev said. The sides came to an agreement that such measures might be symmetric. "We are discussing one or two sectors, whereas (the Koreans) will see, with which they would not rush so far," he explained. Presidential envoy noted that it is also necessary to delve into the legal side of such potential extractions. "But from the viewpoint of common sense it would be the quickest way to solve the problem," he emphasized. Read more