Russia, France Trying To Implement Joint Projects Despite Economic Sanctions - Oreshkin

Russia and France are trying to ignore Western sanctions policies when developing economic relations and instead focus on specific joint projects, Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin said on Monday.

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th December, 2018) Russia and France are trying to ignore Western sanctions policies when developing economic relations and instead focus on specific joint projects, Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin said on Monday.

Last week, EU leaders at a summit in Brussels approved a political decision to extend economic sanctions against Russia for another six-month period, citing "zero progress" in the implementation of the Minsk agreements as the reason for their decision.

"When developing Russian-French relations, we try not to pay attention to the political environment that surrounds them, we focus on specific projects, on specific things that make the economic life of Russia and France better," Oreshkin said, commenting on the impact of the extension of sanctions on the economic cooperation of the two countries.

In 2014, relations between Russia and the West deteriorated over Moscow's alleged involvement in the Ukraine conflict and Crimea's reunification with Russia. EU members, including France, imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia's energy, banking, and defense sectors, among others, as well as on a number of Russian officials. Russia has denied the accusations and introduced a set of countermeasures in response to the West's restrictions.