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Russia to get along without SWIFT — presidential aide

The world used the dollar and the euro because it was convenient, Maxim Oreshkin said

Russian Presidential Aide Maxim Oreshkin Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

Russian Presidential Aide Maxim Oreshkin

© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

SOLNECHNOGORSK, July 16. /TASS/. Russia will endeavor to do so that it has no need for SWIFT, presidential aide Maxim Oreshkin said on Saturday.

"It is very simple regarding SWIFT: we will do so that there is no need for it. This is actually the key task at present, as I have already mentioned," the official said. "We are focusing on maximizing the comfort for foreign economic activity," Oreshkin said.

The world used the dollar and the euro because it was convenient, the presidential aide said. "The whole world was the hostage of the Western financial system because everybody got accustomed to that; it was convenient for everyone. It is fundamentally clear why Russia and China are using dollars or euros. Merely out of habit, so it has evolved, it was convenient. Now it is the situation when, vice versa, yuan [turnovers] are soaring, ruble turnovers are soaring," Oreshkin said. "We will design such mechanisms that will further simplify the process," he added.

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