WASHINGTON, October 7 (RIA Novosti), Lyudmila Chernova - The sanctions against Russia must be lifted without any preconditions, if the countries, which have imposed them, really want to rebuild the dialogue, a former Foreign Minister of Russia Igor Ivanov told RIA Novosti.
"The sanctions must be lifted without any preconditions, and by doing that, the countries will demonstrate that they are really willing to cooperate to solve the Ukrainian conflict," he said on Monday.
Russian Foreign Minister in 1998-2004, Ivanov added that reinstituting the dialogue between Moscow and Washington would take time, stressing that it is possible only through compromise and understanding of the interests and positions of the sides.
"The sooner such dialogue is restored, the faster we will rebuild our relations of cooperation and mutual understanding," Ivanov concluded.
The United States and the European Union have introduced several rounds of economic sanctions against Russia, blaming Moscow for meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs. The latest restrictions, introduced in September, targeted Russia’s banking, energy and defense sectors.
Moscow has responded to Western sanctions by implementing a one-year ban on certain food imports from the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada and Norway.
