MOSCOW, May 30. /TASS/. The call of the European Parliament’s speaker to tighten sanctions against Russian officials is a follow-up to the policy of meddling in Russia’s affairs, while MEPs don’t even have powers to slap restrictions, Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Leonid Slutsky told TASS on Sunday.
"The European Parliament keeps the line towards interfering in the Russian state’s affairs. This is one more statement of the kind. Russophobia and the anti-Russian hysteria have become the MEPs’ calling card," Slutsky said, commenting on a statement of President of the European Union Parliament David Sassoli, who called for stepping up sanctions on Moscow.
Slutsky noted that this position was not constructive and had been inadequate for a rather long time. "However, it should be noted that the European Parliament’s functions and competence do not include the issues of sanctions policy and all its roaring resolutions are non-binding," he stated.
In his interview, published in the newspapers of Germany’s Funke media group on Sunday, Sassoli called for tightening the sanctions against Russian officials. Meanwhile, he also urged to "establish closer contacts with the population and civil society and support Russian dissidents, NGOs and independent media." Sassoli, who answered a question about the problems in the EU-Russian relations, did not comment why he demanded new restrictions.