DUSHANBE (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin called on Friday for new efforts to strengthen cooperation with China and ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia after the European Union tightened sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis.
In comments at a meeting in Tajikistan, he made no direct reference to the sanctions but has been trying to build economic ties with Asia, and particularly China, to reduce their impact on Russia’s economy.
“I believe it is necessary to further improve the efficiency of our interaction to meet the challenges of the time,” Putin said at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a …read more
Source: Newsweek