Maria Zakharova
The alliance forged between Ankara and Moscow is not directed at other countries, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.
"As we have emphasized on every level, Russia is not friends with somebody [to be] against somebody else," Zakharova said.
"For example, Russian collaboration with Turkey is not directed at third countries."
The use of the U.S. dollar to put pressure on other countries will lead to the creation of an alternative world currency, costing the dollar its world currency status, a top Russian deputy told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.Anatoly Aksakov, who heads the Russian State Duma Financial Committee, said the dollar gained its "world currency" status in 1944 when, because of World War II, the national currencies of many countries were devalued while the dollar stayed stable. This resulted in more payments in dollars and its domination in international transactions."But today the U.S. administration is doing everything for the creation of a new world currency,” he said.“More and more countries are considering transactions in national currencies. Meanwhile, the BRICS countries, which Turkey seems to be interested in joining, are discussing the possibility of creating a new currency for payments within the BRICS," he said, referring to the bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.Turkey's doubling tariffs on US products will amount to $533 mln: Trade MinisterThe deputy said a BRICS currency would have good prospects, because the bloc possesses half of the world population, 30 percent of the world's industry, and 40 percent of the world's agriculture as well as the biggest natural resources deposits."The process of creating an alternative world currency can be completed within five years. It will depend on Washington, as the more the U.S. uses the dollar to exert pressure, the more motivation other countries will have to deny payments in the dollar," he said.Many countries have already refused the dollar, said Aksakov, citing how China has started buying oil using its yuan, Turkey has withdrawn its gold deposits from the U.S., and Russia has significantly decreased its investments in U.S. government debt.Turkey doesn't want economic war with US, but wont stay silent: presidential aide"Once the alternative world currency appears, the dollar will lose its significance, costing it half its current value. And with the loss of the dollar's value, the U.S. will lose its influence", he said.Currently, the U.S. gross domestic product is some $20 trillion, including $5 trillion in real income, with $15 trillion coming from other countries using the dollar, he said, saying we should consider what losing that $15 trillion would cost the U.S.Separately, Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee, told Anadolu Agency that Russia is standing by Turkey in a difficult situation.Turkey's budget records $237 million surplus in July"We are here, with our Turkish friends. We're glad to see that lira has started to recover from the first shock," he said."Russia got a similar shock when the ruble's value fell sharply in 2014. But it's not the end of days."Turkey has all the necessary resources -- political will, intellectual power -- to deal with this challenge. Turkey is not a country that can be suppressed by attacking its national value."Turkish court rejects US pastor’s appeal for release for second time
New world currency will topple dollar: Russian deputy
Her comments followed a controversial statement issued by the Greek Foreign Ministry claiming that Russia was a “comrade in arms with Turkey.”
“Since it began fighting as a comrade in arms with Turkey, providing it with a number of facilitations in the security sector, it appears to be steadily distancing itself from positions befitting the level of friendship and cooperation that has characterized Greek-Russian relations for the past 190 years,” the statement read.
Relations between Greece and Russia have recently deteriorated. Russia said on Monday it had summoned Greece's ambassador to Moscow and told him it was responding in kind to what it called an unfriendly decision by Athens to expel two Russian diplomats.
Greece said in July it had expelled two Russian diplomats and barred two other people from entering the country for trying to bribe officials and foment demonstrations to thwart a deal to allow Macedonia to join NATO. Russia flatly denied the allegations.
Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Tuesday that new U.S. sanctions against Ankara and Moscow were an illegitimate policy and a way for the United States to obtain an unfair competitive advantage in global trade.Lavrov was speaking at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Ankara.The U.S. dollar's role as a global currency is in decline and Russia has been exploring for some time using national currencies to settle bilateral trade deals with Turkey and other countries, Lavrov said.Turkish Airlines pulls ads from US media as Ankara-Washington row escalates"I'm confident that the grave abuse of the role of the U.S. dollar as a global reserve currency will result over time in the weakening and demise of its role," said Lavrov, who was speaking at a news conference with his Turkish counterpart."The use of national currencies for mutual trade has for several years been one of the tasks that the presidents of Russia and Turkey had set," said Lavrov."Identical processes have been happening in our relations with Iran. Not only with Turkey and Iran, we're also arranging and already implementing payments in national currencies with the People's Republic of China," Lavrov said.Erdoğan says Turkey will boycott US electronic productsOn Monday, the Kremlin said that Russia favoured bilateral trade with all countries in their national currencies, rather than the dollar, but that the idea needed detailed work before being implemented. Conditions exist for Syria refugee returnLavrov said Moscow was surprised at the West's position on Syrian refugees and the conditions were there for them to start returning home.US sanctions hurting its own reputation: Turkish FMSyrians of Al-Bab rally in support of Turkey's lira
Russia says dollar's days numbered as global trade currency
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in capital Ankara Monday to attend the 10th Ambassadors’ Conference.Lavrov Tuesday will speak at the 10th Ambassadors’ Conference and will also meet Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.The two ministers will hold a joint news conference after their meeting.Lavrov's meetings are expected to address regional and international issues, including bilateral relations as well as Syria in particular.The five-day conference will host 249 Turkish ambassadors and two charge d'affairs, as well as a number of foreign diplomats.
Russian foreign minister arrives in Turkish capital