Russia to increase cooperation with Asian countries: Deputy FM

Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Morgulov has said Moscow will increase cooperation with the Asian countries including Bangladesh which have not joined the sanctions.

“Refocusing of Moscow’s foreign economic strategy towards the East has not started today. This process is of an objective nature and results primarily from the transformation of the Asia-Pacific region into a locomotive of the world economic development,” the Russian Embassy in Dhaka quoted the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister.

He stressed that starting from 2010, the share of the Asia-Pacific countries in Russia’s foreign trade has more than tripled and by 2022 it has exceeded 30 percent, said a Russian Embassy press statement.

“That creates a solid foundation for further cooperation with the Asian partners which have not joined the anti-Russian sanctions. Among them are not only China, which I have already mentioned, but also such an economic giant as India, major regional economic players - Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other states of Southeast Asia,” the Deputy Minister said.

Igor Morgulov also noted that all these dynamically developing economies are interested in increasing supplies of a wide range of the Russian products - energy resources, fertilizers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, high-quality food, engineering products, as well as in filling the market niches that are being vacated in our country.