DUSHANBE, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The global strategic stability has gone through harsh tests due to practices of unfair competition and political blackmail by certain states, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Friday.
He made the remark at the 17th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.
"In order to maintain their dominance in the world, certain states resort to unfair competition practices, imposing trade protectionism measures and unilateral sanctions, which sometimes even evolve into political blackmail," he said, adding that Russia, China and Iran are the main targets.
The prime minister warned that security threats such as terrorism, organized crime and drug trafficking are on the rise, which adds to economic risks.
Despite the difficulties, the Russian economy is generally stable and all key macroeconomic indicators remain positive, which gives Russia an optimistic future economic outlook, he added.
Medvedev said that the SCO is an ideal platform for cooperation in various fields among its member states, which Russia hopes will be strengthened.
He believes that it is necessary for the member states to take measures to reduce external risks and to use the national currency in mutual payments.
In particular, he also suggested strengthening member states' cooperation in transportation infrastructure, with a unified transportation and the setting up of logistics system to cut costs.
