Putin says conflict between Israel and Iran is behind us
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Iran came into effect in May, adding, "Fortunately, the situation in the Middle East is stabilizing. We can say that the long-standing conflict between Israel and Iran is now behind us."
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Putin spoke at the EAEU Forum held in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
Stating that the trade volume between EAEU countries has reached 97 billion dollars, Putin said that national currencies account for a 93 percent share of this trade.
Explaining that Russia has "difficult" relations with the World Bank and Western-based financial institutions, Putin said, "The reason for this is the political prejudices of these institutions."
Putin underlined that Russia is trying to reduce its dependence on Western financial institutions.
Touching upon the Russian assets frozen by Western countries, Putin said, "I have a legal education. I thought about the theft of our gold and foreign currency reserves. Theft is done secretly. What was done was a direct robbery. For this reason, we aim to develop our own financial tools."
Addressing the tension between Israel and Iran, Putin said, "In May, the free trade agreement (with the EAEU) with Iran came into effect.
Fortunately, the situation in the Middle East is stabilizing. We can say that the long-standing conflict between Israel and Iran is now behind us. This development paves the way for us to develop closer relations with all countries in the region."