The President of the European Parliament (EP) David Sassoli expressed the hope that the sanctions imposed by Russia against him will be lifted and he will be able to visit Moscow. He stated this in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa, published on Monday, May 3.
“I hope that this measure will be quickly canceled and I will be able to travel to Moscow to discuss the topics of human rights and political freedoms. I think that the people of this great country are waiting for this and deserve it, ”Sassoli answered when asked whether he considers it possible to hold a Russia-EU summit in the foreseeable future.
According to the President of the EP, it is necessary to believe in dialogue and the power of diplomacy.
On April 30, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that eight citizens of the EU countries and representatives of official structures of the EU were barred from entering the Russian Federation as a response to Western sanctions.
In particular, the list includes Sassoli, member of the French delegation to PACE Jacques Mayor and chairman of the Latvian National Council for Electronic Media Ivars Abolins.
The EU called the retaliatory measures “unacceptable and devoid of legal basis.”
At the same time, on March 22, the European Union imposed sanctions on 11 individuals and four organizations from different countries, including Russia, for “violations of human rights and their abuse.” Two Russian citizens were included in the sanctions list. They are prohibited from entering the territory of the Community’s countries, and their bank accounts, if found, will be frozen there.