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Anti-Russian sanctions

France ready to ease anti-Russian sanctions — senator

Russia and France should create a common space of security in Eurasia, according to a French senator

Jean-Pierre Raffarin EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT

Jean-Pierre Raffarin

© EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT

MOSCOW, February 28. /TASS/. France is ready for a gradual lifting of sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine, but this process must be linked with the implementation of the Minsk agreements, the chairman of the French Senate’s foreign affairs, defense and armed forces commission Jean-Pierre Raffarin said at a meeting with Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko on Tuesday.

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"As for Ukraine, we have approved a resolution on the issue of sanctions and believe the lifting of sanctions can be started gradually depending on how all Minsk provisions will be translated into life," the senator said. "Kiev also shares responsibility (for the implementation of the Minsk agreements)," he marked.

"As for two thorny issues (Ukraine and Syria), we must continue our dialog at a historically high strategic level that is intrinsic to Russian-French relations," Raffarin said.

He also said Russia and France should create a common space of security in Eurasia. "We will be able to build Eurasia of peace only though joint efforts," he stressed.

On June 8, 2016, the French Senate passed a resolution on a gradual easing of sanctions that the European Union imposed against Russia. Most senators, 302 voted for this resolution, and only 16 voted against. The resolution is recommendatory.

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