Crimean Official Urges EU To Make Sensible Decision Of Lifting Russia Sanctions

Crimean Official Urges EU to Make Sensible Decision of Lifting Russia Sanctions

EU leaders should reconsider their anti-Russian stance and abandon the sanctions imposed on Russia, as their potential renewal would harm the development of the EU economy, Ivan Shonus, deputy head of the Crimean parliamentary committee on public diplomacy and inter-ethnic relations, told Sputnik

SIMFEROPOL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th December, 2019) EU leaders should reconsider their anti-Russian stance and abandon the sanctions imposed on Russia, as their potential renewal would harm the development of the EU economy, Ivan Shonus, deputy head of the Crimean parliamentary committee on public diplomacy and inter-ethnic relations, told Sputnik.

On Wednesday, a senior EU official said that during a summit later on Thursday and on Friday, the bloc's leaders were expected to extend the economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, as well as confirm their commitment to preserving the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

"Leaders of the EU countries should cease their prolonged political game in the form of sanctions against Russia and stop this madness related to anti-Russian hysteria. While the decision on extending the sanctions has not yet been made, Crimean citizens call upon the EU leaders to reconsider their position by assuming responsibility for the economic prosperity of their nations, and make a sensible decision connected to lifting sanctions," Shonus said.

Meanwhile, Crimean Public Chamber Head Grigory Ioffe stated that Russia was a self-reliant country that had already adapted to living under sanctions.

"Well, of course, they cause harm, but at the same time, they have allowed us to activate the economy. The sanctions policy has proven its inconsistency as an instrument of pressure on Russia," he said, specifying that these restrictions were no more than a fear of Russia's growing power.

Relations between Russia and EU countries have been strained due to the Ukrainian crisis, the reunification of Crimea with Russia, and the Donbas conflict. The European Union together with the United States introduced sanctions against Russia, to which Russia responded with countermeasures. Some EU countries have recently begun questioning the effectiveness of the policy and started looking for different solutions to problems between both sides.