MOSCOW, June 16. /TASS/. Russia is seeking to continue trade and economic cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and other countries, and this partnership is ongoing, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Channel One television on Friday.

"Here we have absolutely mutual interest in continuing to develop economic cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, and with other countries, so the interaction is going on anyway, there can be no niches here," Peskov said.

On June 1, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his UAE counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan signed a declaration on strategic partnership between the two countries. Trade between Russia and the UAE has been on the rise in the past few years. In 2022, bilateral trade rose 68% to $9 billion, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said on the sidelines of IDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi in February.