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Austria Presidential Hopeful Hopes West Lifts Anti-Russia Sanctions in 2017

© REUTERS / Heinz-Peter BaderAustrian presidential candidate Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party (FPOe) addresses a news conference ahead of a re-run of the run-off presidential election in Vienna, Austria August 29, 2016
Austrian presidential candidate Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party (FPOe) addresses a news conference ahead of a re-run of the run-off presidential election in Vienna, Austria August 29, 2016 - Sputnik International
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Austrian presidential candidate from the Freedom Party (FPO) Norbert Hofer told Sputnik he was strongly supportive of lifting anti-Russian sanctions, which could be done in 2017.

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VIENNA (Sputnik) — On October 1, Austrian Agriculture Minister Andrae Rupprechter said the European Union should work out a strategy to lift the sanctions imposed against Russia as the situation became "critical."

"Austria and especially me personally are very much in favor of discontinuing these sanctions because they have done a lot harm to the economy, a lot of jobs were lost and in my opinion it is time for this blockage to be stopped. It is very difficult to make prognosis on human reasoning, however, with all due respect, one should really consider lifting these sanctions during the course of the next year," Hofer said.

In 2014, relations between Russia and the West deteriorated amid the crisis in Ukraine. Brussels, Washington and their allies imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia over Crimea's secession from Ukraine and Moscow's alleged meddling in the Ukrainian conflict. Russia has repeatedly refuted the accusations, and warned that the sanctions are counterproductive and undermine regional and global stability.

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