Demand for imports in Russia remains despite ruble weakening - minister

DAR ES SALAAM. Oct 30 (Interfax) - The ruble weakening does not currently affect imports as much as issues of logistics and payments, and demand for imports remains, Russia's Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov told journalists on the sidelines of a business forum in Tanzania.

"I would not overestimate the effect of the exchange rate on import and export issues, because they are now determined not only by this, but also by logistics, restrictions, and payments. These factors have a considerably greater effect on export-import operations," Reshetnikov said in response to the possible risks of a decline in investment imports owing to the ruble weakening.

"The statistics are extremely complex, not because of the availability or inaccessibility of sources, but because the structure [of foreign trade] could change, flows change, and so on," Reshetnikov said.

"In general, we proceed from the fact that there is demand for imports, there is investment demand, there is consumer demand, and there is intermediate demand, because enterprises are rebuilding supply chains, a normal economic process is operating here," Reshetnikov said.