Russian media praise Belt and Road Initiative

Some mainstream Russian media outlets have lauded the initiative as a creator of new opportunities in regional cooperation and a propeller of globalization after the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation concluded on May 15 in Beijing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who attended the forum, said the initiative is beneficial and timely, and Russia supports the initiative and will actively take part in the construction of Belt and Road, as it is reported by the RIA Novosti.

The reports said Putin points out the initiative has promising prospects in the long run, and brings hope to stabilizing international situations. The initiative is open, and all decisions are decided by the relevant countries together.

In a roundtable discussion program on Russia Today TV on May 16, Igor Ivanov, former Russian foreign minister, said China and Russia do not target any other country, may it be in the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt or the Eurasian Partnership.

The economic belt is an open platform for international cooperation, he said.

No country can invade the other countries' interests in the form of regional interconnectivity.

The forum in Beijing injected new vitality to strengthening Eurasia's regional security, boosting open economic development on the basis of transparency, mutually beneficial policy integration, and promoting the progress of globalization, he added in the program.