There is no indication that the sanctions on Russia will be lifted anytime soon, but the upcoming Normandy Four summit in Paris could help improve relations between Russia and Europe, the economic and energy minister of the German state of Brandenburg told Sputnik
POTSDAM (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th November, 2019) There is no indication that the sanctions on Russia will be lifted anytime soon, but the upcoming Normandy Four summit in Paris could help improve relations between Russia and Europe, the economic and energy minister of the German state of Brandenburg told Sputnik."As for the lifting the sanctions, at the moment, unfortunately, I am pessimistic. I do not see any rapprochement [of positions] either on the part of Mr. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to Europe, or vice versa. What happened in Crimea is perceived and interpreted by the parties differently," Joerg Steinbach said.
The state minister noted that there were two sides of the issue ordinary people and companies that are experiencing a negative impact, and "big politics" and that resolving Russia-EU differences should therefore remain a priority.
"Maybe something will get off the ground with the new president of Ukraine. But in the political sense, there is a need to adhere to those requirements that are enshrined in the Minsk agreements," Steinbach said.
The minister expressed hope that the summit would contribute to improved relations between Russia and the European Union.
"I believe in the effectiveness of the dialogue, and we have not talked to each other for a long time. I think that constructive decisions may emerge only when people talk to each other, and this is what underlies the relations between people, for example, between [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel and Putin. People speak on a personal level differently than how they do on an official level. If you want to eliminate this difference, you need to communicate, communicate and communicate again," the politician said.
Asked about the impact of sanctions on the Brandenburg economy, the minister noted that it was "primarily indirect."
"We have a relatively small foreign trade potential. But some firms, which have joint projects and lack access to financing due to sanctions, suffer losses," the minister explained.
He noted that there were rare cases when companies lost up to 50 percent of their sales markets.
The leaders of the Normandy Four group Ukraine, France, Germany and Russia will gather in the French capital on December 9 to discuss the progress being made in the Ukrainian peace process.
