Russia's Pivot to the East is the Only Viable Option, Says Presidential Adviser

MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/. Russia’s pivot to the East became the only viable option after the start of the special military operation due to sanctions and the severing of ties with the West, Russian Presidential Adviser and Executive Secretary of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) Organizing Committee Anton Kobyakov told TASS in an interview ahead of the forum.

"With the start of the special military operation, the ‘pivot to the East’ became the only viable option due to sanctions and the severing of ties with the West. While at the beginning of 2022 Russian gas accounted for 41% of the European market, by the end of the year its share had officially fallen to 7.5%. On the other hand, virtually no Asian country, with the exception of Japan - and even then, in a much milder form than the West - condemned the special military operation or joined the anti-Russian front being formed on the basis of NATO," he said.

"We see the EEF’s task as creating a balance in economic cooperation, primarily through engagement with ASEAN countries and a number of APEC economies," he stressed.

According to him, the "pivot to the East," which continues to be the subject of heated debate, has three dimensions: southern, northern, and domestic. "And this is not an abstraction but specific geopolitics," he added.

"The southern dimension is locally linked to ASEAN. Its relevance is confirmed by trade statistics for Asia’s leading economic grouping and its key partners, among which Russia occupies a modest 14th place with trade totaling $22 bln. By comparison, China’s trade exceeds $980 bln - almost $1 trillion; the United States’ stands at around $490 bln; the EU’s at $235 bln; and India’s at $189 bln," Kobyakov explained.

The Eastern Economic Forum will be held on September 1-4 in Vladivostok on the campus of Far Eastern Federal University. The forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Russian government.