Russia is interested in cooperating with the United Kingdom in a whole range of areas, chiefly trade and the economy, the new Russian ambassador to London, Andrei Kelin, said on Tuesday, also pointing to trade barriers that will be lifted after Brexit
LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2019) Russia is interested in cooperating with the United Kingdom in a whole range of areas, chiefly trade and the economy, the new Russian ambassador to London, Andrei Kelin, said on Tuesday, also pointing to trade barriers that will be lifted after Brexit.
"There is a whole range of areas. We have conducted 'cataloging' of all these areas in Moscow ... I understand approximately what we will have to do. As for Brexit, I would not say that we have a firm stand on whether it will be good or bad for us ... As we see it, Brexit provides some additional opportunities that may be interesting to us in terms of trade and the economy," Kelin told Russian journalists, stressing that Russia was ready for cooperation regardless of the development of the situation.
If the UK does not leave the European Union, cooperation will be predictable, as it will be conducted on the basis of existing agreements within the bloc, the ambassador said.
However, Brexit will not hinder cooperation either, as in this case the country will no longer face a number of trade restrictions adopted by the EU, according to Kelin.
"Some old trade barriers, imposed by the EU, will collapse, around 20 barriers. They have hindered and they continue hindering our trade with the EU member states. I am referring to barriers related to steel, chemical products, and the EU is now imposing invented duties on chrome, and so on. There are also some outdated restrictions and bans with the UK, on medication trade, for instance, or some barriers that are based on rules that now prevent cooperation development," Kelin explained.
The ambassador, who has just recently superseded Alexander Yakovenko at the position, expressed confidence that the countries would reach agreement on all the matters hindering cooperation.
He noted that a new bilateral Moscow-London trade deal was on the agenda.
