Ukraine-related Western sanctions are expected to strengthen ties between Russia and Thailand, boosting trade turnover between the nations to as much as $10 billion, according to Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov.
“The level of $10 billion that we had previously set is still a goal, and an achievable one,” he told journalists after the first day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which kicked off on Saturday in the Thai capital of Bangkok.
Reshetnikov said that trade between Russia and the South Asian state reached $2.8 billion in 2021, stressing that the two partners expect that figure to multiply.
According to the minister, the countries had discussed the issue of boosting mutual trade earlier in the day.