ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) — The attempts by some Western countries to isolate Russia have been futile, Russian presidential adviser Anton Kobyakov said in St. Petersburg on Thursday.
"The policy to isolate Russia, which has been pushed through by some Western politicians, has turned out to be unsuccessful," Kobyakov said at the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption.
He said that while all options to sever Russia’s ties with the world had been exhausted, Moscow continued to "strengthen our multilateral cooperation, including in the anti-corruption sphere."
Anton Kobyakov added that the decision to host the sixth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption in Russia testified to the trust the international community placed in the course being pursued by the country to combat corruption.
"Of course, holding a UN conference in Russia, which is the choice of the United Nations and the Conference, indicates confidence in this direction that Russia has demonstrated in recent years. It is the trust of the international community on the course of the fight against corruption in Russia," Anton Kobyakov said.
The sixth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption began on Monday and will last through Friday.
The large-scale event has gathered delegates from 159 countries, including more than 50 heads of national anti-corruption agencies and more than 90 non-governmental organizations operating in the anti-corruption, educational, legal, social and environmental spheres.
The UN Convention against Corruption entered into force in 2005 and aims to comprehensively address corruption and issues associated with it.
