ST. PETERSBURG, June 7. /TASS/. Moscow and Ankara are searching ways to resolve economic issues amid Western pressure on Turkey, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
"The Americans and the British are exerting unprecedented pressure, along with the quasi-intelligence bodies they created to ensure compliance with sanctions," he noted. "Their representatives come to Ankara, gather officials and business executives and make blatant threats," Peskov added, describing this kind of behavior as "absolutely arrogant."
"There are economic issues, and it’s even negatively affecting our business dialogue," the Kremlin spokesman went on to say. "We are searching for ways to evade pressure from the Westerners and we will certainly find them," he emphasized.
"In some countries, namely China, they (Western emissaries - TASS) do the same thing in a more respectful manner," Peskov went on to say. "Turkey may find it more difficult to deal with the pressure, particularly because of the economic problems the country is facing," he noted.
"[Turkish] President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan defends the interests of his country quite confidently, which certainly appeals to us," the Russian presidential spokesman added.