KRASNOYARSK. March 3 (Interfax) - Russia did not expect the Western countries to declare an economic war against it over the events in Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said at the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum.
"Of course, we need to coordinate our medium-term and long-term plans with the current situation, the force of the moment. We could not imagine that our frenemies, the Western partners would put up a total fight against Russia, declaring without being shy that there would be a financial economic war against Russia [...], total isolation of Russia," he said by videoconference.
Due to the current situation, the authorities will rely on other integration associations, in particular, the Eurasian Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the deputy minister said.
"Siberia in this sense can play a very serious role not only in terms of boosting the export of hydrocarbons, raw materials, and initial and secondary processing products, but it can also go further. If there are developments, they need to be put on the table in the context of import substitution. The emphasis will be shifted to Eurasian cooperation, the Asian part of the globe. Things will not be easy," Pankin said.
Russia is not going to close and lower a virtual Iron Curtain along its borders.
"Naturally, the forms of payment interaction will need to be changed. We realized a long time ago that we will not get any soft treatment, regardless of the Ukrainian factor," Pankin said.