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GYEONGJU /Republic of Korea/, October 31. /TASS/. Countries with unfriendly governments do not want to lose ties with Moscow and still consider it an important market and partner, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin told reporters. "We have economic and trade cooperation with many countries, including those whose governments commit unfriendly acts against Russia. We don't use the term 'unfriendly countries'. All countries are friendly while their governments can commit unfriendly acts," he said. "So this dialogue, this cooperation is ongoing, with the volume and range having significantly declined though. Countries still consider Russia a very important market, a very important partner. They know our potential: innovation, technology, digital, manufacturing, and energy," Pankin said. Cooperation with such countries will intensify after the successes of the special military operation and the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, he added. "However, small steps are perhaps being outlined, those that are painless or not very painful for those countries. No one wants to lose touch with Russia because, as you know, this region has been and remains very important. Therefore, this alignment will happen at some point. But it will depend on favorable circumstances, which, I hope, will develop," the official concluded.
