Lavrov says Russia plans to end dependence on West in areas crucial to its people

ANTALYA. March 10 (Interfax) - Russia intends to abandon its dependence on the West in spheres crucial to its citizens and overcome problems in the economy caused by Western sanctions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"As to the state of the economy of the Russian Federation, you know we will take care of it ourselves," Lavrov said during a Thursday press conference in Antalya after talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, assisted by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The president and the government are working on this issue, he said.

"As to our economic problems, we will deal with them. We dealt with difficulties at all stages of our history, when these difficulties arose," the minister said.

"But this time, I assure you, we will come out of this crisis with improved psychology and improved consciousness. We will have no illusions that the West can be a reliable partner. We will have no illusions that the West believes in its mantras when it speaks about its values. And we will have no illusions that the West will betray at any moment, will betray anyone and will betray its own values," Lavrov said.

"I assure you, we can do it, we can definitely do it. But we will do everything to not depend on the West in any way anymore in those areas of our life that are crucial to our people," the minister said.

"We will ensure that we will never find ourselves in such a situation again, so that no one, Uncle Sam or anyone else, can make decisions that are aimed at destroying our economy," the minister said.

Russia will find a way of not depending on it anymore, "and it should have been done a long time ago," he said.