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Anti-Russian sanctions

Liguria regional council postpones voting on resolution to lift anti-Russian sanctions

Liguria’s governor spoke out on Tuesday against anti-Russian sanctions, terming them ‘suicidal’ and saying sanctions failed to help solve the Ukrainian crisis and damaged Italy’s economy

ROME, June 7. /TASS/. The regional council of Italian Liguria postponed on Tuesday the voting on a resolution to lift sanctions imposed against Russia over Ukraine and to recognize Crimea’s status. The voting was postponed until a next session on June 29 for technical reasons, Liguria’s councilor for economic development and entrepreneurship Edoardo Rixi told Tass.

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Italy’s Liguria governor urges lifting of anti-Russian sanctions

"Today’s session was held after municipal elections, a lot of issues were on the agenda and some of them necessitated additional time for discussion, that is why the voting on the resolution was postponed," he said.

Liguria’s governor, Giovanni Toti, spoke out on Tuesday against anti-Russian sanctions, terming them ‘suicidal’ and saying sanctions failed to help solve the Ukrainian crisis and damaged Italy’s economy.

The resolution seeking the lifting of sanctions and recognition of Crimea’s status was put to a vote by representatives of the Northern League (Lega Nord) opposition party that rules in Liguria in alliance with Forza Italia (Forward, Italy), a party led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi." The party has always objected a chill in relations with Russia. Edoardo Rixi believes the resolution will be passed by a majority of votes.

The regional council of the northern Veneto region where the Northern League has a majority, was the first to adopt the pro-Crimean resolution. A similar vote was to have been held on Tuesday in another northern region of Italy, Lombardia. However, the regional council earlier postponed the vote to July 4.

The Northern League was one of the first European parties to recognize Crimea’s independent status while its leader Matteo Salvini was one of the first to make a trip to the peninsula. The party deems it necessary to fully restore economic relations with Russia and give up the anti-Russian sanctions, which caused multi-billion losses to the Italian business.

For incorporation of Crimea after the 2014 coup in Ukraine, Russia came under sanctions on the part of the United States and many European countries. The restrictive measures were soon intensified following Western and Ukrainian claims that Russia supported militias in self-proclaimed republics in Ukraine’s southeast.

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