Russia, India boosting settlements in national currencies - Russian deputy FM

MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax) - Moscow and New Delhi are boosting settlements in national currencies, and respective national agencies are optimizing settlement mechanisms, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in interview with Interfax.

"I would like to mention a few points regarding settlements with India in national currencies. We started working on their expansion long before the West unleased the sanctions war on Russia. Of course, we will continue this process. Respective national agencies have been working to optimize settlement mechanisms for a long time," Rudenko said in response to a question whether the stranded rupee problem had been dealt with.

"Restrictions imposed by the United States and its satellites not just failed to slow down the process but also served as its catalyst," he said.

Bilateral trade and economic relations "received a fresh impetus," Rudenko said.

"Based on statistical data, we can say that the Russian-Indian trade turnover will set a new record in the post-Soviet history this year, as last year's achievement will be surpassed," he said.