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Visa requirements hamper economic ties between Russian and the EU

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko and Russian participants in the Russia-EU Industrialists’ Round Table discussed an expansion of trade and economic cooperation...

MOSCOW, February 29 (Itar-Tass) — On Tuesday Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko and Russian participants in the Russia-EU Industrialists’ Round Table discussed an expansion of trade and economic cooperation with the European Union after Russia’s WTO accession, marking that visa requirements hamper economic ties between Russia and the EU, Russian Foreign Ministry sources reported on Wednesday.

They discussed “possibilities to expand trade and economic cooperation with the European Union, which open after Russia’s WTO accession,” the sources said. “Participants in the meeting discussed the situation around some major investment projects carried out jointly with companies from the EU countries,” they added.

They also “exchanged opinions on ways to overcome problems that Russian business faces on the EU market,” the sources continued. “Representatives of business circles emphasized the importance of the abolishment of the visa regime with EU member countries, which considerably restrains the development of economic relations,” the sources stressed.