Sputnik: You're here with your colleagues from the AfD, and also, with German businessmen. What's your mission here at the Forum?
Gunnar Lindemann: We were in the Crimea in February with some members of different regional parliaments. And in February we were invited to come to this Economic forum. I brought five people from the Bundestag, from my party — the AfD, and we also brought some businessmen with us, who are interested in making contacts. Businessmen in Germany are afraid because of the sanctions. It's difficult to explain to them — to go and look for opportunities, that the businessmen, who are the first to come to the forum to make contacts, will be the first to do business once the sanctions have finished. So, we're trying to support our businessmen, but it's difficult in Germany.
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Sputnik: How much pressure do you feel because of the sanctions in political field, and how large is the impact on the German economy?
Gunnar Lindemann: Sanctions are a big problem in Germany, for the German economy, because the German economy has experienced the biggest losses from sanctions when compared to the British or American economy. German companies have had a lot of problems because of the sanctions, because they could not deliver their goods to Russia. And we need to deliver our goods to Russia to save jobs in Germany. And, of course, we need resources from Russia, like [natural] gas, for the German people.
So, it's important for Russia and Germany to cooperate economically.
So, we just need send out signs and end the sanctions step by step for our businessmen, and, of course, for the people of the Crimea. We met many regular people, businessmen, here in February, and they have problems getting European visas, students cannot go and study in the EU. Professors don't come to the Crimea because they are afraid of sanctions from the Ukrainian government. It's not good for the people, because they should be able to share their experiences. That's the reason to end these sanctions.
The views of the speaker do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.