EU urges Russia to end blockade
By Jerome Hart,WNS EU Correspondent
BELGIUM - The EU has urged Russia to lift economic sanctions it imposed on Georgia in a continuing spying row between the two former Soviet states. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said "sanctions... do not lead anywhere".
Russia has cut off all transport and postal links with Georgia, despite the release of four Russian officers accused by Tbilisi of spying. Moscow denies the spying charge while Georgia accuses Russia of bullying. "We do hope that Russia very, very soon lifts these sanctions," Ms Ferrero-Waldner told Reuters news agency during a visit to Georgia. "There are so many irritants again on either side and therefore it is very important not to provoke and not to be provoked," she said. Her comments came a day after the US urged Moscow and Georgia to "lower the rhetoric" over the spy row. Russian sanctions include the suspension of bank transfers to Georgia. The impact of the new measures is likely to be severe. He says thousands of Georgian workers will be effectively stranded in Russia, unable to send home the earnings so many of their families depend on.
Fears have also been expressed about Georgia's reliance on Russian energy supplies. Georgia remains totally dependent on supplies of Russian gas and there are already warnings that heat and light could disappear from parts of Georgia unless the crisis is resolved quickly, correspondents say. But Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said his country would survive the Russian pressure as it always had.
posted by wnsworld @ 10:49 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home