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pork and other pig products from the EU, "is illegal under international trade rules." The ban was introduced by Russia in January 2014 due to the outbreak of African swine fever in the EU regions close to the border with Belarus. In August 2016 the WTO arbitrators recognized that Russia's refusal to imports of certain EU products do not meet international standards and violates the rules of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. Brussels called on Russia "to reverse its unjustified measures and to allow EU companies to resume normal business with their Russian partners." The ban marked the beginning of the Russian sanctions on EU agricultural products as a tit-for-tat response to western sanctions imposed on Russia following its annexation of the Crimea. Not only has the ban cost the EU hundreds of millions of dollars in lost trade, but the sanctions are questionable under WTO open trade rules. Russia joined the WTO on August 22, 2012 after a 19 year wait, which is probably the high water market of globalisation.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) decided to strengthen Black Sea security at a summit on February 16, after Russian jets buzzed a US carrier in the region, its secretary general Jans Stoltenberg told a press conference after a meeting of the Georgia-NATO Commission in Brussels on the same day. Specifically, an enhanced NATO presence in the Black Sea region would be used for training, situational awareness and exercises. Also, NATO would coordinate its standing naval forces when operating with other allied forces on the Black Sea.
Four NATO countries when asked which military power they’d want fighting on their side if attacked, answered Russia, according to a multi-nation WIN/Gallup International poll. By far the largest number of countries polled chose the US for their go-to defence partner, which remains the world’s only military power with truly global reach. But China and Russia picked each other, war-torn Ukraine and Iraq split down the middle, while those four members of the US-led NATO -- Bulgaria, Greece, Slovenia and Turkey -- plumped for Russia. In Western Europe, some NATO members are increasingly looking to other Europeans for security. Although 30% of Belgians chose the US in the survey, more chose European partners -- 25% France and 12% the UK -- while almost as many Swedes chose the UK (29%) as the US (31%).
A draft presidential order confirming the government's plans to boost
14 RUSSIA Country Report February 2017 www.intellinews.com