MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. The EU decision to blacklist two Russian Energy Ministry officials is puzzling, while its interference in the dispute between Siemens and Russia’s Technopromexport (part of the Rostec Corporation) violates international law, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
"First of all, any interference in a dispute between two companies is a direct violation of international law," the statement reads. "Taking into consideration Siemens’ long experience, it is hard to imagine that the company became ‘hostage’ to the situation," the statement reads. "Russia’s Energy Ministry is confident that the EU made the decision only for political reasons. This is the reason why, in accordance with a sad tradition, no legal arguments for blacklisting the Russian Energy Ministry officials have been provided," the statement adds.
On Friday, the European Union blacklisted Russia’s Technopromexport and Interavtomatika companies, as well as Russian Deputy Energy Minister Andrei Cherezov, Head of the ministry’s Department for Operational Control and Electricity Management Evgeniy Grabchak and Technopromexport CEO Sergei Topor-Gilka.
According to the Russian Energy Ministry, it expects the EU to further clarify its decision to blacklist two of the ministry’s officials. "The Russian Energy Ministry intends to continue ensuring the energy safety of its customers. Political ambitions should never prevent governments from fulfilling their obligations to citizens," the statement adds.
On July 21, Germany’s Siemens company announced that all four of its gas turbines produced for a project in southern Russia had been delivered to Crimea in breach of the agreement.