The negotiations on a new treaty, to replace the one that expired in 2007, had been blocked by EU member Poland embroiled in a meat dispute with Russia. Last year, Russia and the European Union extended the treaty by a year.
Mark Franko said a mandate for the negotiations could be approved by the Council of the European Union, the ministerial level meeting of national governments, on April 7-8.
"Both Russia and the European Union are prepared to start the talks. The negotiators will set the date as soon as the mandate is formally approved," Franko said.
Poland vetoed the talks over Moscow's 2005 embargo on Polish meat. Russia said low quality meat from third countries was being imported under the cover of Polish produce. Warsaw called the ban political.
The two countries moved to resolve the dispute and improve relations in general since a new center-right government came to power in the former Warsaw Bloc country late last year. Russia resumed meat imports in December 2007.
