Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that “under the new conditions, the Russian economy will definitely be open”, stressing that “at the same time, we will expand cooperation with those countries that are interested in mutually beneficial partnerships.”

During the meeting, which was reported by the Russian TASS agency, he considered that “there is a whole range of important issues here.” He stated that this is “the organization of an appropriate infrastructure for settlements in national currencies, the establishment of scientific and technical ties and, of course, an increase in the capacity of logistics chains, an increase in their efficiency, and the creation of new ways of transporting goods.”

“In recent months, the strategic importance of this work has increased significantly,” Putin stressed. He pointed to the need to diversify transport flows in connection with the desire of some countries to “close the road to Russia.”

He stated that “the actions of some countries, their desire to close to Russia, not to close Russia, and especially to close Russia even to their own detriment, showed how important it is now to immediately diversify transport flows, expand corridors towards predictable and responsible partners.”