Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said that the US sanctions have become a kind of “refreshing shower” for the Russian economy, as they stimulate import substitution, especially in the field of new technologies.
“The initiators of the sanctions can only be thanked for the artificially created opportunity to actually engage in advanced import substitution, primarily in the field of new technologies, from which the scammers are unsuccessfully trying to push us away,” Antonov’s article says. on the Kommersant website.
“The restrictions have been a refreshing morning shower for Russian business,” the diplomat added. “They have helped (by the way, not only us) to realize the catastrophic risks of over-dependence of supply chains on foreign partners.”
Antonov stressed that the Russian economy, despite all the difficulties, is confidently standing on its feet and successfully adapting to reality.
The Russian ambassador said: “Despite the gloomy forecasts, the Russian economy has withstood, without exaggeration, an unprecedented and comprehensive onslaught, there was no market collapse. According to the latest estimates, the fall in Russia’s GDP in 2022 was limited to 2.1%. , there is no market crash here. There is no crash here.”
Antonov drew attention to the statistics of the International Monetary Fund, which predicts the growth of the national economy of the Russian Federation this year, and added: “Let the figure be small – 0.3% (in 2024 – already 2.1%), but this is higher than even in progressive Western jurisdictions. And if you believe some experts who constantly point out the high probability of a recession in the US economy, then more than in the US.”
According to the diplomat, Russia is rapidly preparing to enter new frontiers, and noted that prospects are opening up in the development of infrastructure, manufacturing and domestic tourism.
He added: “Much attention is being paid to the construction of new logistics corridors and the modernization of ports. This will significantly expand economic ties with countries that are really interested in mutually beneficial interaction.”
The diplomat concluded that “the task of providing comfortable working conditions in Russia for foreign businesses that have decided, despite the political situation and the orientation of Western capitals and experts, to maintain their presence in our market, remains objective.”
Source: TASS