MOSCOW: As the West takes a more totalitarian position in global affairs, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expects more economic cooperation with China.

According to Rusian Times, Russia seeks to create relationships with independent countries and will decide how to deal with the West once it comes to its senses. Now that the West has assumed the role of dictator, our economic ties with China will grow even quicker," Lavrov told students at Moscow's Primakov School, which is named for one of his predecessors. Evgeny Primakov served as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister from 1996 until 1998.  

"This will provide us the opportunity to implement plans for the development of the Far East and Eastern Siberia, in addition to direct income to the Treasury," Lavrov added. "The majority of China-related initiatives are centred there. This is a chance for us to fulfil our full potential in high technology, including nuclear energy, but also in various other fields "he said.

Russia will "seriously examine whether we will need it or not" if and when the West comes to its senses and offers something in terms of restarting relations, the foreign minister told the high-schoolers.

Moscow isn't just pursuing an import substitution strategy in response to anti-Russian sanctions; it also needs to "stop in any way being dependent on the supply of anything from the West" and rely on its own capabilities and those countries that have "proven their reliability" and can act independently, according to Lavrov.

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