GORKI. Jan 30 (Interfax) - Only terrorists are happy when sanctions of one kind or another are being imposed, and it should be remembered, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.
"It is necessary to maintain cooperation even during sanctions, that's what Belgian Prime Minister [Charles Michel] said. It applies not only to the business environment, cooperation between business communities, it also applies to consultations, cooperation on the most pressing international issues, as well as challenges and threats, which our countries face," Medvedev said at a press conference following the Russian-Belgian negotiations on Tuesday.
"Both Russia and Belgium suffer from terrorism. And this is why we need to necessarily maintain consultations, at all levels especially, maintain consultations on the most pressing issues precisely instead of closing doors. If there are no such consultations, only terrorists are happy. All people voting in favor of imposing sanctions of one kind or another should remember that," Medvedev said.
The Soviet Union was subjected to sanctions several times, the Russian prime minister said. "And it never affected the Soviet Union's policy during the period of sanctions," Medvedev said.
"The effectiveness of sanctions, generally, does not reach even one third of what those imposing them expect. Sanctions affect the economy, affect business. And this, in itself, is bad. On the other hand, sanctions give rise to the need to address one's own economic issues, resolve them independently, which is quite useful sometimes," the Russian prime minister said.