Russia regards US as its key partner, Minister for Economic Development and Trade

Russia regards the United States as its key partner, said Minister for Economic Development and Trade German Gref speaking at the annual meeting of the American-Russian Business Council (ARBC) held on Thursday in Washington.

The Minister for Economic Development and Trade stressed that the relations between the two countries had reached stability compared to the previous unsteady development. "Our primary task is to sustain this stability no matter what," German Gref noted.

He added that disputes and controversies frustrating the development of the relations were natural. Stability should be based on trade and economic relations between the two countries, the Russian minister emphasized.

The Head of the Ministry for Economic Development and Trade stressed that both sides had much that would help them complete each other, from culture to technologies, industries and markets of capitals. "Our priority is to create such conditions in Russia which will allow everyone, regardless of where his money came from, Russia or America, to apply all his abilities and strength in our country," noted Gref. The minister said that the Russian Government "would continue to do everything to lift all the barriers and limitations to make Russia a stable country ruled by law, where the strongest survives in healthy competition and in which every businessman would want to invest."