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Ukraine’s Minister of Justice Pavlo Petrenko said that Ukraine would provide a proper legal assessment of Russia's request to the World Trade Organization (WTO) calling for consultations in connection with the sanctions Ukraine imposed against the Russian Federation, an UNIAN correspondent reported from Petrenko’s Kyiv briefing Monday.
"Their complaints to the WTO will see a proper legal assessment by Ukraine as a WTO member," the minister said.
As UNIAN reported, on May 20, Russia lodged an appeal with the WTO’s dispute resolution body calling for consultations in connection with the sanctions imposed by Ukraine against the Russian Federation.
"Russia's representation to the WTO in Geneva has sent to the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body and the government of Ukraine a request for consultations in connection with the permanently imposed restrictions, starting 2014, as well as prohibitions, special requirements and procedures for Russian goods, services and persons on the Ukrainian market, and also with regard to transit through Ukraine," TASS quotes Oreshkin as saying.
Read alsoRussia demands WTO consultations due to Ukrainian sanctionsThe comprehensive claim Russia has filed with the WTO relates not only to restrictions on the supply of food and non-food products but also to the ban on accreditation of the Russian media. Read also Ukraine adds more Russian, Crimean transport enterprises to sanction list "We are talking about bans on imports of meat and dairy products, as well as fish, wine, vodka, railway equipment, fertilizers, and many other goods from Russia ... We also classify restrictions on operations with the Ukrainian currency and prohibition on the accreditation of journalists from Russia's news agencies and other media," he said.
Oreshkin noted that there is a reason to believe that Ukraine imposes sanctions against Russia "in violation of its obligations to the WTO."
Read alsoRussia loses WTO appeal over ban on pork imports from EU – mediaIn accordance with the WTO procedures, the request for consultations is the first stage in the filing of the claim. Within two months, according to WTO rules, consultations with the government of Ukraine should be held with a view to finding a mutually acceptable solution to the dispute.
As a rule, if consultations yield no result, the party submitting the request has the right to start the second stage of the dispute that is referring the case to the arbitration panel.