WASHINGTON, April 11. /TASS/. A potential withdrawal by Russia from the World Bank driven by recent geopolitical shifts would not bring the country any benefits, Roman Marshavin, Russian executive director at the World Bank, told TASS in an interview.

"I will express my personal point of view because any decision on an exit [from the World Bank] is still, at the end of the day, the prerogative of our government, and to date we have not heard anything regarding such a decision. Frankly speaking, I do not see any benefit accruing to Russia should such a radical step be taken," Marshavin said.

The World Bank announced the suspension of all its programs in Russia and Belarus in the spring of 2022 in light of the special military operation in Ukraine.

The bank executive urges factoring in Russia’s long-term national interests in the evolving situation. "I would look at Russia’s membership in the [World Bank] from the standpoint of our long-term interests. The weight of the BRICS group and other developing economies in the global GDP will only grow. I would remind everyone that it is precisely GDP that serves as the main criterion in the formula for determining shares in the [bank’s] equity capital. This means that the Western countries’ loss of a controlling stake in the bank and a fairer distribution of [shareholder] votes in [the bank’s governing structures] is just a matter of time. Let me cite one example: China’s actual share in the WB’s capital now stands at 6%, but its estimated share under the so-called ‘dynamic formula’ is already more than 13%. In contrast, many European countries are ‘overrepresented’ at present and their share will decline in the future," the executive director noted.

"It would be fairly easy to exit the organization," Marshavin said. "At the same time, though, it’s a toss of the coin whether or not [in case of a Russian exit] the US would freeze payments due to us for our stake in World Bank Group institutions, which is valued at more than $1 bln. Then [in case of a freeze], it would be virtually impossible to return to the status quo ante," he cautioned.