Russia: link of sanctions with Ukrainian conflict unacceptable – Mehr News Agency
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a note in which it deplores the decision of the EU to extend the sanctions until July 31, 2016, for “a solution that does not depend on Russia, but the bloc is involved”.
The Foreign Ministry insists that the decision made in Brussels is illogical, is artificial and unfounded, and regrets that the EU prefers to continue the game of sanctions in place to restore constructive cooperation on the key challenges of today, such as the fight against international terrorism.
The Council of Permanent Representatives of the EU decided last Friday to extend the punitive policy towards Moscow, with the argument put forward on the issues that are pending Agreements met in Minsk on Ukraine to settle the conflict with the Donbass.
It reiterated that Russia is not part of this crisis originated after the coup in February 2014 in Kyiv by the then opposition, now in power with the backing of the United States and Europe.
The technical procedure for extending the package of restrictions come into force on Tuesday, according to a European source quoted by Russia’s Ria Novosti.
That conflict, state the Russian Foreign Ministry officials, was not caused or started by Russia, but by the current Ukrainian authorities in an attempt to crush the Donbass disagreement with the coup.
It adds that the starting point of the crisis in that country in the last two years focused on the association with the EU, the economic segment of the agreement comes into force on January 1st, 2016.
Immediately afterwards, it states that the assumption that the sanctions would force Russia to change its approaches.
“It is wrong and shortsighted. They mean, rather, that the EU remains prey to their own calculations,” it said.
According to Moscow, the situation could change if Europeans work with Kyiv in the right direction urging compliance Minsk agreements, which were approved by the UN resolution 2202 by the Security Council
The head of the State Duma (lower house) Sergei Naryshkin, agreed that approaches to Brussels to present Russia – “sponsored by Washington” – fit into the strategic calculations the block of 28 members.
Naryshkin stressed that his country talking the language of sanctions is illogical and clearly humiliating for European diplomacy.
Going together with the United States with the anti-Russian policy, the EU adopted in 2014 a package of sanctions restrictions began by citizens and companies and were extended to specific sectors of the Russian economy.
In August this year, Moscow extended another 12 months the embargo of food to Western nations involved, plus the United States, the EU, Australia, Canada and Norway.
hr/tac/to/ode
PL-31/MNA