SOUTH-EAST ASIA (Bernama- Sputnik/RIA Novosti): African countries, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Vietnam are interested in supplying their goods to the Russian online market, moreover, some of these countries are in the free trade zone, Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov told RIA Novosti.
"The Russian market is very large, so many countries are interested in entering it, naturally, with the goods they have. African countries ... Clearly, our closest and most powerful neighbor is China, but then there's South-East Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, and so on," he said when asked which countries were showing interest in the Russian online market.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the 4th Hangzhou Global Digital Trade Expo (GDTE).
"That is, these are large countries with their own industries and supplies, and they are interested in supplying products to our market. Moreover, some of these countries are in a free trade zone. For example, we are also making progress in negotiations with Indonesia, so, in principle, the negotiations are quite extensive," the minister added.
For example, he noted, African countries can supply food products such as coffee, nuts, and fruit. However, it must be taken into account that different goods require their own supply chains. For example, transporting fruit requires more complex logistics, Reshetnikov explained.
The minister noted that supplying goods to Russian marketplaces involved two issues: logistics and payments, "something that currently requires constant effort."
-- BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
