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St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2016

Minister says EU should lift sanctions first, not Russia

The minister comments on the statement of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who urged Moscow to lift the food embargo against the EU first

Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV / POOL

Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev

© EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV / POOL

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Sarkozy calls on Russia to set example to EU by lifting its food embargo

ST. PETERSBURG, June 16. /TASS/. The initiative to lift anti-Russian sanctions should come not from Russia, but from those who introduced them, Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev told journalists on Thursday on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2016).

He commented on the statement of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who urged Moscow to lift the food embargo against the EU first and thus to give an example to Brussels.

"The initiative to start this came from our partners, they should also initiate withdrawal," Ulyukayev said.

He added that currently the Russian government is not considering removing counter sanctions. The Ministry of Economic Development, on the contrary, is already preparing a draft resolution to extend the food embargo, he said.

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