ST. PETERSBURG, June 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's finance minister Alexei Kudrin urged on Saturday the European Union and the United States to make a decision on supporting agricultural producers under the Doha development round of world trade talks.

The Doha development round began in 2001 with the aim of cutting farm subsidies and tariffs and allowing free trade among countries of different levels of prosperity. It came to halt in 2008 due to disagreements between developed nations, led by the United States and the European Union, and developing countries.

"Let's make this decision," Kudrin said, speaking at the 12th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Kudrin said he supported U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez's recent statement that a successful completion of the Doha round of negotiations on a global trade agreement would help cut food prices and could bring around 500 million people out of poverty.

Kudrin also said a cut in subsidies in developed countries would raise considerably the competitiveness of developing markets, adding that farmers would receive additional opportunities without the provision of direct financial aid.