MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Outside pressure in the form of sanctions has become an incentive to resolve various issues of Russia’s economy, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev stated in an interview with the Izvestiya daily.
He noted that through introducing sanctions against Russia, "the West aims to destabilize Russia’s economy and to create social and political tensions in society."
"But during the difficult times, Russians have always stuck together and mobilized their resources in order to ensure the country’s sovereignty. This is what is happening now - the outside pressure has become an incentive to resolve many problems in Russia’s economy," he said.
"Before the sanctions, it seemed that we would never be able to feed ourselves and that we are doomed to be dependent on Western import. However, right now, Russia’s food sovereignty in crucial sectors has practically been achieved, and in some areas, Russia has become the leading exporter," Patrushev noted.
Those who apply the sanctions "can see that they (the sanctions - TASS) are ineffective and often achieve the opposite goal," the Russian security chief concluded.
