Against the backdrop of the growing global economic crisis, aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic, Russia stands out with its experience of self-sufficiency and existence in isolation.
First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy Sergei Kalashnikov stated this at a press conference, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Both the psychological and economic background indicate that the big crisis, which began to be talked about after 2012, has already begun. What for Russia? There are two factors here. The first, unfortunately, no one wrote it off, is that Russia is deeply immersed in international economic relations, and, of course, this crisis cannot but affect the very open Russian economy. That is, it will certainly have negative consequences for Russia.
But there is also a positive factor, it lies in the fact that Russia, which for a long historical period was in a certain isolation, I mean the Soviet Union, the Vanik-Jackson amendment and other restrictions, it, in general, has a certain experience and a certain opportunity, a large self-sufficient country, it has the opportunity to exist as a separate economic continent, being in a certain self-isolation. This inspires some optimism.
And, most importantly, we, like no other country, perhaps with the exception of North Korea and Cuba, are ready for this kind of isolation; in general, it does not frighten us. Therefore, I believe that this is a positive factor that will help us survive the international economic crisis,” said Kalashnikov.
“The question is different: who will be competitive after the crisis? A new era begins, the crisis is just a disease. Now, when the whole world, the whole economy gets sick, the question is: who will be the healthiest and most adapted to the new realities, and this is a question that does not have a clear answer,” the expert added.