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Sanctions policy can lead to escalation, says German lawmaker

Sectoral economic sanctions against Russia imposed by the EU will be in effect until the end of January 2018

BERLIN, December 14. /TASS/. Restrictive measures do not help solve problems in relations between the EU and Russia, on the contrary, they can lead to the escalation of tensions, member of the Bundestag (the German parliament) from the Alternative for Germany political party, Markus Frohnmaier, told TASS on Thursday.

"I think everyone has seen the results of a survey conducted by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. It says that Germany accounts for about 40% of the losses caused by anti-Russian sanctions. Foreign trade with Russia was affected significantly due to these restrictive measures," the lawmaker said, adding that it is necessary to analyze the situation.

"We need to think the matter over urgently. If we turn to history, we can state that the sanctions policy has never helped solve any problems. It should be said that the sanctions policy is the policy aimed at the escalation," the politician noted.

"From the point of view of history, Russia and Germany have always had close links, with mutual cooperation helping our economic growth. We benefit from good relations with Russia, in particular, in the automotive industry," he added. "We cannot put our economy at stake while resolving geopolitical conflicts. We need to talk to each other, keep calm and remember that sanctions often lead to an escalation."

Sectoral economic sanctions against Russia imposed by the EU will be in effect until the end of January 2018. They include financial restrictions concerning the leading Russian defense and energy companies and large banks with public ownership. In addition to that, they impose a ban on exporting military and energy technologies and high-tech equipment to Russia.