Lavrov: Russian restrictions on EU food imports defend national economic interests
MOSCOW. Oct 14 (Interfax) - Russia's restrictions on food imports from EU member countries are not sanctions; this is the Russian right to protect national economic interests, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told European Business Association members in Moscow on Tuesday.
"By hindering the access of Russian financial institutes to European loans, Brussels has actually created more advantageous conditions for European commodities on our domestic market," Lavrov pointed out.
"We should not forget that subsidies per hectare of cropland are six times larger in the EU than they are in Russia. Therefore, measures restricting food imports from the European Union are not sanctions; this is our right to protect national economic interests and struggle against unfair competition," the Russian minister emphasized.