Moscow Says Disappointed by Decision of France, Germany, UK to Terminate INSTEX

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow is disappointed by the decision of France, Germany and the United Kingdom to terminate the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) with Iran, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

Last week, the German Foreign Ministry said that countries participating in the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) have decided to terminate it.

"The joint statement issued on March 9 by the United Kingdom, Germany and France on the decision of the INSTEX shareholder countries to terminate this mechanism is disappointing," Zakharova said in a statement.

This decision of the European countries shows their inability to fight for the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"What happened with INSTEX is quite a clear demonstration of the inability of European countries to seriously fight for the JCPOA and international law in general, defending those decisions that were put down in the UN Security Council resolution 2231," the statement read.

The reasons for the decision of France, Germany and the UK to terminate INSTEX can only be speculated about, but the way that European countries are trying to shift blame on Iran for the mechanism's low effectiveness is ridiculous, the spokeswoman concluded.