ATHENS, July 09, /ITAR-TASS/. Sanctions targeting Russia harm the whole European business rather than just Russia, President of the Russian state-run railways corporation RZD Vladimir Yakunin said at a conference of the British magazine Economist in the sea town of Vouliagmeni near the Greek capital on Wednesday.
Speaking about foreign investment in Greece, Yakunin said that “sanctions imposed on a number of Russian companies and individuals abort an opportunity to attract as many investors as possible.”
Yakunin is confident that the sanctions wielding impact on the investment climate “harm the whole European business rather than Russia.”
“It is widely-known and it is enough to read publications, for instance, in Germany,” he said. “Not long ago a special campaign launched by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was on view and all of you know about the fact. But now more people in the U.S. have come to the realization that the sanctions have no results and do not help.”
“Russia’s isolation does no good to the development of the world, Europe and Russia as well,” the RZD chief said.
“I would be much more disappointed if this method to communicate with Russia would go ahead,” Yakunin said.
“I strongly feel that first, it is incorrect and second, that it was not the Russian government that had sparked off the riots in Ukraine and the Nazis who were marching around Kiev had not come from Russia,” he said. “I am not speaking about all the Ukrainians - that is another pair of shoes - but militants wearing Nazi swastika were marching in the capital centre and nobody paid any attention to this.”
Yakunin said that sooner or later the situation would change as this is arousing a problem for Europe.
“Do not forget that we are approaching the 70th anniversary of [victory in] the most terrible event in the history of the mankind - World War II,” he said.
The Russian official held talks with Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras but no releases for the media followed.