MOSCOW, October 6. / TASS /. International financial organizations at the turn of the 1990s and 2000s tried to intervene in Russia's fight against terrorists in the North Caucasus, said Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
"I remember this very well... when the representatives of international financial organizations, at our requests, even to extend the term for the payment of interest on previously taken loans, demanded a change in domestic policy, including the preservation of our territorial integrity, I mean our struggle with gangs of terrorists in the Caucasus," said President Putin . "It was very unexpected for me, but it happened," he added, noting that at that time he was the head of the Russian government.
"We must be strong and independent - or we won't be anything at all," the President stressed, pointing out the importance of careful financial actions.
He recalled that in the context of a pandemic, many measures were taken in the country to support citizens and the economy. "All this was done proceeding from the opportunities that we had as a result of pursuing a sustainable macroeconomic policy, and [thanks] to the reserves that we created patiently, persistently and gradually," Putin said. "It didn’t fall from the sky, but this policy was designed to meet any surprises on our own, relying on our own resources, without being able to turn to foreign sources of funding, which would not interfere with our domestic politics and would not dictate their terms of behavior to us as it was in 1990s or early 2000s ".