Over 90% of German-Russian Trade Chamber Members Want Russia Sanctions Lifted

Vast majority of the members of the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce (AHK) want the sanctions to be lifted, the AHK head, Rainer Seele, said Thursday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) – Over 90 percent of the members of the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce (AHK) support immediate or gradual removal of anti-Russia economic sanctions, Seele said.

"Battles for spheres in the market are significantly complicated by the sanctions. The economy suffers because of it. The members of the German-Russian chamber, 91 percent, want the sanctions to be lifted immediately, or at least in phases," Seele, who is also the CEO of Austrian energy company OMV, said.

The forecasts suggesting that Chinese business could replace Germany in the Russian market have not come true yet, Seele noted, specifying that Russian values were closer to European ones than to Asian. He noted though that China took the leading position in the Russian market in such spheres as engineering.

German business circles have long been concerned about the likely loss of its position on the Russian market due to sanctions.

Washington and Brussels imposed anti-Russia sanctions after Crimea became part of Russia in 2014 and over Moscow's alleged meddling in the conflict between the pro-independence eastern Ukrainian militias and Kiev. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations, warning that the Western sanctions are counterproductive and undermine global stability.