Swiss Parliament Refuses to Join G7 Sanctions on Russia

  A commission in the Swiss parliament voted against its country's membership in the G7 special working group on sanctions against Russia. Western countries, especially the United States, are increasing pressure on sanctions against Moscow under the pretext of supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia. Meanwhile, residents of these countries are facing a boomerang from their government's sanction policies due to rising prices of goods and energy. In March 2022, a special working group of the G7, Australia and the European Commission imposed sanctions against Russian elites, proxies and oligarchs (REPO).

Sputnik news agency reported that the Swiss Parliament's Foreign Relations Commission with a majority vote announced on Tuesday (5/9/2023) that it opposes the country's joining the Russia sanctions working group in Group-7, and considers this action to be of no benefit to Switzerland. Having spent more than 160 billion dollars on foreign aid, Ukraine has not achieved significant success on the battlefield against Russia, so Kyiv's supporters are trying to intensify sanctions against the Russian Federation, so that they can compensate for its weaknesses and failures on the battlefield in the economic field.

The various sanctions imposed on Russia so far have created many challenges for the European economy. The Association of Grain Producers of Russia announced an increase in grain exports from this country abroad. The Ministers of Defense of Russia and Turkey and the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine on July 22, 2023 signed the Black Sea corridor agreement in Istanbul which was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. This agreement guarantees the export of grain blocked in Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea to the rest of the world. The grain export agreement is valid for 120 days, and the Ukrainian authorities promise to provide conditions for its implementation within 10 days.

According to Al Jazeera TV channel, the Russian Association of Grain Producers announced Tuesday that the country exported 7.7 million tons of grain last August, most of which was exported to Latin American and African countries. Last month, Russia's wheat exports increased by 37 percent, barley exports increased by 7 percent, and corn exports increased by 88 percent. The largest amount of Russian wheat exports this month was supplied to Egypt which reached more than 900 thousand tons. (PH)