Russian presidential aide Kirill Dmitriev said during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday that the United States has moved towards dialogue with Moscow only after realising it couldn’t ‘break down’ Russia through sanctions.
“No one believed it was possible to withstand pressure from so many countries,” Dmitriev stated. “As Russia has withstood this pressure, the United States, for one, is beginning to adopt a slightly more pragmatic approach, because they realise: ‘we’ve pressed and pressed and pressed, but we haven’t managed to break them down – we need to find a way to reach an agreement’.”
For his part, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak noted that the country’s economy has continued to show steady growth despite Western sanctions.
“Our economy has demonstrated its resilience, with growth over the last three years standing at 10.3 per cent – an average of 3.3 per cent per year – which is higher than the global average,” Novak said.
“It is therefore a unique phenomenon that, even when measures are taken against us, the Russian economy is not merely weathering the storm but is actually achieving strong growth,” he continued.
The Deputy Prime Minister added that investment in the Russian economy has grown by 40 percent over the past four years, attributing this growth in part to the development of partnerships with friendly countries.
China Chengtong International Chairman Sun Bohui emphasised that Chinese companies are keen to invest in Russian businesses.
“As for investment funds, there is also high demand for them; therefore, trade combined with investment is the ideal model and the key criterion for the development of Chinese state-owned enterprises, because this is the only way we can achieve faster integration,” Sun said.
The 29th St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) takes place on June 3-6. More than 20,000 people are set to attend, with politicians from around 76 countries making the journey. Since its establishment in 1997, the forum has served as a platform for international dialogue on global economic issues. Vladimir Putin has taken part in the event regularly since 2005.
Source: Viory
