Latvian Prime Minister says EU will not rescind sanctions against Russia this year

Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma said in an interview with Latvian Radio-4 that EU is not likely to lift the sanctions against Russia within the near future. However, the prime minister said, the sanctions have affected Latvia’s economy too.

“The sanctions have affected the Latvian economy, mainly agriculture. The dairy industry and fishing sector have been affected the most. This is a response to the political situation in Ukraine,” she said. The prime minister welcomed efforts of local businessmen aimed at finding new sales markets for their products. She said that the Chinese market is opening for Latvia, the trade with Belarus develops, and exports to the European Union countries have increased too.

Laimdota Straujuma said the situation would be optimal if there were peace in Ukraine and all the countries could develop without any sanctions. She said: “It is very difficult to predict what the situation will be, as Russia has imposed asymmetrical sanctions in the sectors it wanted to affect. Nevertheless, Europe’s sanctions will not be rescinded unless the Minsk Agreement is implemented.”

The prime minister thinks the European sanctions against Russia will be left unchanged this year either.