OREANDA-NEWS. Western countries, trying to maintain a privileged position in the world in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, violate international principles and resort to protectionism. This was stated on November 30 by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin during an online meeting of the council of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries.

According to the politician, difficult processes in policy and economy are currently being observed in the world. “Not everyone is ready to accept that the modern world is becoming multipolar,” Mishustin said, adding that Western countries strive to maintain a privileged position through a policy of economic pressure. “Sanctions are becoming an instrument of interference in internal affairs. Protectionist measures in trade and investment are being introduced under far-fetched pretexts,” the Prime Minister of Russia noted. In his opinion, the spread of coronavirus further aggravates the contradictions.

Mishustin also emphasized that the average decline in the economies of the SCO countries this year will be less than the decline in the world economy.