Zakharova clarified that not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also other agencies deal with the issue of the transit of goods from the Kaliningrad region.
THE Russia shapes its position according to the directives of the European Commission regarding the passing through the Kaliningrad regionsaid the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova.
“They published a decision yesterday, I mean the European Commission, or, rather, not even a decision but a guidance. It removes restrictions on a certain range of products, goods being transported [στην περιοχή του Καλίνινγκραντ] by rail. We commented on this yesterday and we still think this is a show of realism and common sense. We are shaping a position”he told the Soloviev Live channel on Thursday.
Zakharova clarified that not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also other agencies are dealing with this issue because “it is about the situation in the region, [η οποία είναι] federal entity’ and, if necessary, a response from all agencies will be formulated.
“It seems to me that they realized that the situation had already reached an impasse and it is very dangerous and explosive”he said.
On June 18, Lithuania blocked the transit of goods specified by the European sanctions to and from Kaliningrad. The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin said Vilnius’ actions were illegal and contrary to international agreements. In turn, the Lithuanian government and EU leadership noted that the country had not introduced unilateral or additional restrictions and was simply implementing current European sanctions.
According to the directives of the European Commission, rail transit of oil and oil products, coal, steel and iron, wood, cement and other non-military goods to Kaliningrad is not prohibited. After the publication of the directive, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania stated that Vilnius assesses it positively and “will effectively ensure the implementation of sanctions by closely monitoring and effectively verifying whether Russia attempts to abuse transit opportunities”.
Earlier, Zakharova said Moscow would closely monitor the EU’s steps on the issue of transit to and from Kaliningrad. He also noted that while the decision of the European Commission demonstrated “realism and common sense”the Russian Federation still had questions about the content of the document.
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