The leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Andrea Nahles, called Russia an important dialogue partner for both Germany and Europe, particularly, in terms of the international trade.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2018) The leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Andrea Nahles, called Russia an important dialogue partner for both Germany and Europe, particularly, in terms of the international trade.
The statement was made ahead of the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which will take place later on Saturday.
"Many conflicts in the world cannot be resolved without Russia. We need a close dialogue with Russia. � We need to achieve once again a greater legal certainty in trade relations. And, in these terms, Russia is an important dialogue partner for Germany and Europe. I expect that, at their meeting, Merkel and Putin will agree on fostering the enforcement of the WTO [World Trade Organization] rules," Nahles said in an interview with the Funke media group.
The SPD leader stressed that the WTO should be strengthened, as the US President Donald Trump had imposed "sanctions on the half of the world."
In late March, the United States imposed tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports. According to Trump, the tariffs will be in place for a long time. The European Union and a number of other countries have been granted temporary exemptions from tariffs that expired on June 1.
The European Union, as one of the US partners most affected by the restrictions, has initiated a dispute settlement case within the WTO. Others, including Canada, China, Russia, Turkey, India, and Mexico, have also challenged the US tariffs at the organization.
