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Anti-Russian sanctions

Italy’s Veneto passes another resolution calling to lift anti-Russian sanctions

The Regional Council of Veneto, Italy’s northeastern region, has passed another resolution against the anti-Russian sanctions

ROME, April 10. /TASS/. The Regional Council of Veneto, Italy’s northeastern region, has passed another resolution against the anti-Russian sanctions, Stefano Valdegamberi, one of the resolution’s initiators, told TASS on Tuesday.

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Italy's Veneto to fight against sanctions policy towards Russia

"We have passed another resolution protesting against the anti-Russian sanctions and urging their immediate lifting," he said, adding that the document had come as a result of the work of a special commission that had calculated the region’s losses from the sanctions. Thus, according to the document, Veneto’s exports dropped by 35.6% in the period from 2013 to 2016.

The resolution also points that the region is interested in close relations with Russia. In June 2017, Veneto signed a twin-city document with Russia’s Voronezh region and now plans to sign such agreements with the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions.

"We call on the government, parliament and European institutions to revise the current economic relations between the European Union and Russia and lift the sanctions," the resolution says.

Valdegamberi also said he planned to join Italy’s delegation to the Yalta International Economic Forum to be held on April 19 through 21. "Our delegation will include members of regional legislatures and lawmakers from the national parliament, as well as a number of businessmen," he said, adding that he planned to offer Russian partners a project in the area of education and training of highly-qualified specialists in Crimea.

Veneto was among the first Italian regions to pass resolutions calling to lift the sanctions and recognize Crimea’s status. It was done in May 2016. The lead was later followed by other Italian regions, including economically developed Lombardy and Liguria.

Following the development in Ukraine and Crimea’s reunification with Russia in 2014, the European Union imposed a package of anti-Russian sanctions and suspended talks on visa-free travel and a new framework agreement on cooperation. It banned a number of Russian officials from entering the European Union and froze their assets. Apart from that, trade, financial and military restrictions were introduced. In all, the EU sanction lists include 151 individuals and 37 legal entities. Sectoral sanctions cover 20 Russian financial, oil and gas, and defense enterprises.

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