On August 19 (Moscow time), according to TASS news agency, Russian ministries and sectors opposed the termination of agreements and treaties with NATO, the European Union (EU), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), because Moscow believes that these documents can still be used as tools for dialogue with the West.
Mr. Garry Minkh, Special Envoy of the Russian President to the State Duma, Russian Lower House, said that the above position is being maintained by relevant agencies.
According to Russian officials, the above documents, along with the agreement between Russia and the EU, "have not yet fully exploited the potential" in building dialogue with Western countries.
Mr. Minkh said that international agreements are not only of legal significance but can also become a channel of communication between countries in periods of tense relations.
In the end, the above agreements are tools to communicate with other countries," he said.
The Russian official also emphasized that this position is consistent with the views of the country's leaders. According to him, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov both have a similar approach, which is that Moscow is still ready to dialogue with the West.
Mr. Minkh's statement was made in the context of Russia's relations with NATO and the EU continuing to be tense. Moscow and Western countries have applied many restrictive measures and adjusted cooperative relations since the conflict in Ukraine broke out.
However, according to Russian officials, maintaining some international frameworks and agreements could help Moscow retain the necessary communication channels, instead of completely closing dialogue mechanisms.
This stance shows that Russia has not chosen the option of cutting off all existing cooperation frameworks with Western organizations and partners.
