Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Alexander Avdeev, has appealed for help to Ireland and other EU countries in order to stabilise the economic situation in his country. Russian embassies in the EU will be involved in a campaign for support in view of what he described as "the magnitude of the task".
Mr Avdeev's comments came in an interview with The Irish Times to mark the 25th anniversary this week of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Russia. Following the effective devaluation of the rouble in August and the consequent run on the banks, Russia's economy has suffered its biggest setback since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and inflation is expected to reach more than 250 per cent this year.
Russia had, in recent years, undertaken deep economic and social transformations and as a result "our country has been incorporated into the web of the world economy," Mr Avdeev said. "Therefore it is quite understandable that when the serious upheaval shook financial markets, in particular in Asia, it could not help taking its effect on the economic situation in Russia."
While Russia's leadership was doing and would do everything possible to stabilise the situation it was important that support should come from other states, "first of all European Union members". Achieving this would be a task for Russian diplomacy.
Despite the current economic situation in which many foreign imports have come to a halt, Mr Avdeev stressed that Ireland, as an exporter of beef, remained "one of the important suppliers of this type of agricultural production" and that "for eight months of this year the volume of export of Irish beef remains approximately at the level of last year".
With reference to Ireland's initiative on nuclear disarmament launched jointly with seven other countries on June 9th, Mr Avdeev said Russia was "very worried" by the situation which has resulted from the nuclear tests in India and Pakistan and their possible consequences. "We are taking some active efforts at bilateral level, within the framework of `The Five' and other multilateral mechanisms in order to make India and Pakistan review their attitude towards nuclear issues, sign the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty without conditions, and join the non-proliferation treaty as non-nuclear states."
Russia's approach, he said, was in tune with the Irish initiative on a number of points, stressing President Yeltsin's proposal for the withdrawal of all nuclear weapons back to the territories of the existing nuclear powers.
On other issues, Russia was ready to sign an agreement with Ireland on combating drug-trafficking, and on co-operation in fighting crime. Documents currently being worked on in preparation for agreements between the two countries included those on mutual protection of investments, training of Russian management personnel in Ireland, and co-operation on scientific and technical issues as well as tourism.
