BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2018) Albania, Montenegro, Norway and Ukraine decided to adhere to the European Union's July 5 decision to extend economic sanctions against Russia until January 31, the Council of the European Union said in a statement on Friday.
On July 5, the Council adopted a decision to extend economic sanctions on Russia's financial, energy and defense sectors for another six months until January 31, 2019. These sanctions were first introduced in 2014.
"The Candidate Countries Montenegro and Albania, and the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, align themselves with this declaration. They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision. The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it," the statement said.
In a separate statement, the council said that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, as well as Moldova and Armenia, aligned themselves with EU sanctions against North Korea. All the aforementioned states � except for Norway � plus Georgia, had joined sanctions against entities and persons linked to activities of the Islamic State (IS) and Al Qaeda terrorist groups (both banned in Russia).
Since 2014, relations between Russia and the European Union deteriorated amid the crisis in Ukraine. Brussels, Washington and their allies have introduced several rounds of sanctions on Moscow since Crimea reunified with Russia in 2014. Moscow's alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict was another justification for the measures. Russia has repeatedly refuted the allegations, warning that the West's sanctions are counterproductive and undermine global stability.
