NOVOSIBIRSK, July 6, /TASS/. The terms of the Minsk Accords need to be fulfilled while the sanctions against Russia need to be lifted, a German lawmaker said on Monday.
"We in Germany would like the political foundation for the sanctions to go as soon as possible and the sanctions themselves become a thing of the past. But it is clear that for the sanctions to be lifted, the Minsk Accords need to be implemented," said Bernhard Kaster, chairman of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany faction in the Bundestag and head of the Russia-Germany parliamentary group, told journalists in Novosibirsk.
He called sanctions a tool of civilized diplomacy which, in his opinion, should counter violence and be the main way to resolve international problems.
Kaster noted that he had arrived in Novosibirsk with a delegation of Bundestag deputies to participate in the work of the Russia-Germany parliamentary group. The deputies visited the Chkalov Aircraft Factory which produces Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional passenger jets.
"We are going through troubled political times, exactly the times when talks should be maintained. This manufacturer works in close contact with German producers," Kaster said.
Sergey Smirnov, director of the Chkalov Aircraft Factory in Novosibirsk, explained to journalists that 80% of machines and other equipment used in the production of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 are made in Germany.