Medvedev: Russia may protect itself if Ukraine, Georgia ratify association deals with EU
GORKI. July 7 (Interfax) - Protective measures may be taken in trade with Ukraine and Georgia if their parliaments ratify the association agreements with the European Union, as the Moldovan parliament has done before, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.
"Of course, if the scenario in Ukraine and Georgia develops in the same way, the set of measures will be similar and, obviously, based on the scope of trade and economic relations and consequences for the Russian market," Medvedev told vice-premiers on Monday.
The prime minister pointed out the association agreements would not take effect despite their ratification by local parliaments until they were ratified by the European Parliament.
"For clear reasons it [the agreement] does not hold an even temporary legal force until it is ratified. The ratification may take years or happen very rapidly. Once they have ratified the document, then they [the Moldovan parliament] should realize that they are creating a totally different legal foundation for their relationship with the Customs Union and the Russian Federation. And we should definitely pay special attention to that," Medvedev said.