The European Commission has taken note of the decision by European Union member states to remove Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list, but will not comment on the substance of the decision.
This was stated by European Commission Spokesperson for Enlargement Christian Wigand in Brussels on Wednesday, commenting on the relevant decision adopted by the EU Council on Tuesday.
Answering journalists' questions as to whether this fact "makes the EU look weak," he said: "The EU has demonstrated unity once again by reaffirming the existing sanctions against Russia. We also take note of the decision by member states to lift sanctions on specific individuals."
The spokesperson emphasized that this time the EU's commitments were also strengthened by extending the duration of sanctions not for the usual 6 or 12 months, but for 36 months, i.e., for three years. "This is also a clear signal to Russia about the need to change its behavior, as this pressure will remain in the long term," Wigand noted.
Answering a question as to why this specific decision was made, he stated that discussions on sanctions "are confidential and entirely up to the member states". "Therefore, for reasons of principle, we cannot publicly comment on the content of these discussions. So I will leave it at that," the European Commission spokesperson concluded.
Wigand declined to comment on the fact that a French citizen was released from prison in Azerbaijan on Wednesday morning, as well as on the possibility of the European Commission providing EU member states with travel recommendations regarding that country. (Earlier, information appeared that France specifically insisted on the exclusion of Usmanov from the sanctions list due to the possibility of an exchange for the release of a French citizen from prison in Azerbaijan – IF-U).
