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Russia's decree on expanding list of counter-sanctioned countries may be ready this week

Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev earlier said Russia may expand the list of countries subjected to counter-sanctions
Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev  Yekaterina Shtukina/Russian Government Press Office/TASS
Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev
© Yekaterina Shtukina/Russian Government Press Office/TASS

MOSCOW, August 6. /TASS/. Government decree on expanding the list of countries counter-sanctioned by Russia, may be prepared by the end of this week, a source in the Cabinet told TASS on Thursday.

"I think the decree will be ready by the end of this week," the source said, adding that the president’s decrees regulating counter-sanctions, allow writing additions by the government.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that Russia may expand the list of countries subject to its counter sanctions, as he urged the government to study the need to expand the list of the countries having introduced their retaliatory measures against Russia. "If it is really the case [that some countries not being subject to Russia’s counter-sanctions introduced their retaliatory measures - TASS] it is necessary to prepare an appeal to the president to supplement the decree [the list of sanctioned countries -TASS] with an additional number of countries supporting such decisions [Western sanctions against Russia -TASS]," he said.

In late July, seven European countries - Montenegro, Albania, Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein, Ukraine and Georgia - reaffirmed to the EU Council they prolonged their participation in the EU’s sanctions against Crimea and Sevastopol till June 23, 2016. Six of these countries except Georgia also joined the EU’s decision of July 22 to prolong economic sanctions against Russia till January 31, 2016. The EU membership aspirants (Montenegro and Albania and the countries affiliated with the European Free Trade Association: Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein and also Ukraine and Georgia, which are neither EU aspirants nor members of EFTA (European Free Trade Association), joined the EU Council’s declaration of June 19 prolonging the operation of the EU’s restrictive measures in protest against Crimea and Sevastopol till June 23, 2016.

On August 7, 2014 Russia imposed a one-year ban on imports of a number of food products from Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United States and Norway as a response to anti-Russia sanctions imposed by those countries.