The trade turnover between Russia and the United States totaled $13.8 billion in the first six months of this year, Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with Izvestia published on Tuesday.
The envoy told the newspaper that despite sanctions, American businessmen are still interested in the Russian market.
“Bilateral trade turnover with the U.S. is rising gradually. In 2018, it gained 13% to $27.5 billion (compared with $24 billion in 2017). Positive dynamics has maintained this year as well as trade amounted to $13.8 billion in six months,” he said.
Despite the tightening of the U.S. policies against Russia, “American businessmen are demonstrating the intention to stay on the Russian market that is profitable for them,” as well as displaying readiness to participate actively in relevant multi-sided events, such as the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) and the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), the diplomat said.
Moreover, Antonov noted the fact that Russia is becoming increasingly attractive for Americans as a tourist destination, adding that the 2018 FIFA World Cup has become a strong example of that as the U.S. took the second spot in terms of the number of tourists after China.
The tourist flow between Alaska and Russia’s Far East makes the bulk of the total flow of Americans to Russia, the diplomat said. He also urged to resume regular direct flights between Alaska’s Anchorage and the Far Eastern cities of Russia. Currently those flights are seasonal.
