Merkel Advocated for Extending Sanctions against the Russian Federation

Germany stood for continuing sanctions against Russia until the Minsk agreements are implemented. German Chancellor Angela Merkel believes that sanctions against Russia should be continued until there is progress in the Minsk agreements implementation. Merkel stated on Wednesday, May 27, reporting at a forum arranged by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, TASS reported. Speaking about the need to maintain the sanctions policy, Merkel also noted that she was ready to give new impetus to the EU and Russia relations development. "Russia will occupy us during the EU presidency (second half of 2020 - ed.). Fundamental rules of international law violations are going to be called by their proper names," she said. Merkel also emphasized that if there is no progress in the Minsk process then sanctions will have to be adhered to. "On the other hand, the EU presidency gives us the opportunity to give a new impetus to relations," the chancellor said. She pointed out the need for cooperation with Moscow on such topics as Libya, Syria, climate protection, and health care. “There are many reasons to seek good relations with Russia. Among them are geographical proximity and a shared history, global challenges and economic interweaving,” she said. On the other hand, Merkel believes that Russia should be interested in a constructive cooperation with the EU and Germany. Merkel emphasized that she has always stood for a critically-constructive dialogue and peaceful coexistence. However, the basis for this, she said, must be an understanding of the fact that in international relations it is important not the law of the strong, but the force of law. In addition, Merkel accused Moscow of repeatedly violating the values ​​and rules existing in the West and of creating in the neighborhood a zone of unresolved conflicts and hybrid attacks against Western democracies, including Germany. It was previously reported that hackers read Merkel’s mail. The investigation believes that Russian military intelligence is behind the hacker attack.