Speaking at an international forum of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported that the strategic situation has reached a point where many countries now feel they have to create a “safety net” against Western nations, because they are so unreliable and unable to negotiate anything seriously. According to TASS, Lavrov explained “An increasing number of countries are beginning to realise the need for a safety net: establishing systems that will not make them dependent on the whims, unreliability and intractability of our Western partners.” He attacked the politicization from the World Bank and other multilateral organizations, saying, “Look at the developments in the World Bank, in the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) regarding their projects in the Russian Federation. The banks where we are significant stakeholders are blocking projects not only in the Russian Federation but also in such countries as the Syrian Arab Republic, even though all the standards currently in effect are being fully met. This is outright politicization.”
Russia’s alternative strategy is therefore to engage in increasing cooperation with “like-minded partners,” including the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the five-nation BRICS group. “The Russia-India-China troika remains fairly active within BRICS. Relations are being built up via bilateral channels with a broad circle of nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America and with their integration associations,” and to also bolster relations with sub-regional organizations. All of these, he said, are also showing interest “in establishing cooperation and moving towards free trade with the EAEU. If we consider these countries, they are home to practically 80 percent of the world’s population.”
