If anyone violated the norms of the World Trade Organization (WTO), it was the United States and the European Union themselves. Thus, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, on Wednesday, December 22, commented on the US statements about alleged violations by Russia of the WTO rules.
The office of the American trade representative previously stressed that the department will work with like-minded partners and use WTO tools to “hold Russia accountable for its behavior in the multilateral trading system.”
“What does the WTO have to do with it? If anyone violated the WTO rules, it was the United States of America and the EU with their unilateral sanctions, ”Zakharova said on the Soloviev Live YouTube channel.
She also added that the White House put pressure on the European Union, Brussels decided to impose sanctions on Russia, and the Russian Federation responded as it did in order to “bring everyone to their senses.”
The day before, US Trade Representative Katrie Tai explained that the report on alleged violations by Russia provides an overview of Russia’s continuing departure from WTO guidelines. In particular, according to her, this is a non-discriminatory practice.
On November 19, it became known that the EU is challenging several Russian measures taken as part of the import substitution program. The EU has issued a formal request to form an arbitration panel to deal with a public procurement dispute with Russia, as bilateral consultations held on September 13 did not resolve the issue.
On July 26, the European Union filed a claim with the WTO against Russia in connection with measures that, according to the alliance, prohibit its companies from selling goods to Russian state-owned enterprises. At the same time, what goods were discussed was not specified.
The Russian Federation has expanded its import substitution programs since 2015 amid EU and US sanctions. In June 2021, during a direct line, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the country’s economic sovereignty was increasing, despite Western sanctions, the restrictions only strengthened these programs.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
