Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said here Wednesday that his country would like to develop relations with both Eastern and Western countries.Russia sees the socio-economic development of remote Siberia and Far East as its main tasks, but that does not mean the country would put the focus only on Asian countries, Lavrov told a press conference.“It is in our interests to use Russia’s unique geographic, geopolitical, and geo-economic position at its maximum, especially taking into account that the economic and social recovery of Siberia and the Far East are priorities of Russia,” Lavrov said.However, he said, Russia would not prioritize its relations with the Eastern countries as Russia “has also focused on the West and the East, and the South and the North” due to the country’s geography and history.“We are not talking about that we forget about everything that happens in our relations with our European and South Asian partners. We want to grow organically and use all their comparative advantages,” Lavrov said.Lavrov also briefed reporters on the first day of the ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.The ministers exchanged views over a number of issues, including the main APEC activities for 2012 and future objectives of the bloc in 2013, he said.
