Friendly countries account for 84% in Russian non-energy non-commodity exports - minister

MOSCOW. Dec 24 (Interfax) - Russia has increased its non-commodity non-energy exports to friendly countries in 2024, which now account for 84% of the destinations for such exports, up from 81.8% in 2023 and from 60.5% in the pre-sanctions year of 2021, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov told journalists on Tuesday.

"The first thing we did was to increase the share of product shipments to the friendly countries' markets. Since 2021 the proportion of friendly countries in Russian exports has risen by more than 20%: from 60.5% to 81.8% in 2023 and to 84% now. We are talking about countries such as the traditional destinations for our product shipments: the CIS, also India, the UAE [United Arab Emirates], China, Iran and many others. Secondly, entering new markets where Russian products were not represented on such a large scale. These are countries in Africa and Latin America," Alikhanov said.

Russia has "come close to fully offsetting the negative effects from sanctions towards all of its non-energy non-commodity exports and continuing its upward movement," he said, commenting on the decrease in non-energy non-commodity exports in the past two years.

It was reported that Russia's non-commodity non-energy exports in 2023 dropped to $146.3 billion from $190.4 billion in 2022. The highest volume was in 2021, at $194.2 billion.

"Indeed, the past two years have seen a decrease in our non-commodity non-energy exports. This is partly due to the destruction of established logistical supply chains, product transportation issues, and other sanctions-related restrictions. At the same time, Russia's Industry and Trade Ministry always aims to achieve high indicators in non-energy non-commodity exports, such goals were set within the framework of our International Cooperation and Export national project," Alikhanov said.

"I am sure that by continuing with this gradual movement, we will hit the target of raising our non-energy non-commodity exports by two-thirds, to the 2023 level, by 2030," he said.

The International Cooperation and Export project stipulates a two-thirds increase of non-energy non-commodity exports by 2030 relative to 2023.