BANGKOK, April 22. /TASS/. Countries in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) have begun to build the political will to overcome the energy crisis without regard to Western anti-Russian sanctions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov said in an interview with TASS.

In his view, shaping a sovereign foreign policy and foreign economic course remains a complex process involving clear risks, "but amid rapidly developing multipolarity it is becoming increasingly evident, which is clearly not to the liking of countries that have usurped the global trade and economic system." "We are seeing positive signals from our partners in APAC countries. With some of them, active work is already underway, and specific modalities of cooperation in the energy sector are being discussed against the backdrop of recent changes in the international environment. Of course, specific results will take time, but the formation of the necessary political will is already underway," Alimov said, who headed the Russian delegation at the 82nd session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in Bangkok.

"Western anti-Russian restrictions are absolutely illegitimate in nature. Some of them are aimed at our fuel and energy sector and, broadly speaking, serve clear purposes — the desire of Western countries to cement their dominance in energy markets. We, on the contrary, have advocated and continue to advocate for fair competition," the Russian diplomat noted. At the same time, Alimov expressed regret that "some countries continue to pursue their policies taking into account these sanctions measures, even when it runs counter to their own national interests."

Following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a number of Asian countries have expressed readiness to purchase Russian oil or have already resumed imports due to energy shortages. Thus, amid turbulence in international markets, the Philippines in March received its first shipment of Russian oil in five years, a company from the Republic of Korea imported Russian naphtha (ligroin), and Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia are holding talks on supplies.