Russian PM concern about European economy

Russia viewed the euro zone crisis as a serious threat to its own economic wellbeing, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Monday. Speaking to AFP and French daily Le Figaro on the eve of his visit to Paris, Medvedev said the Russian and European economies were interwoven, so any trouble in Europe would have repercussions in Russia. "We consider the threat (of the euro-zone crisis) serious enough. Otherwise, we would have a different budget, but we have passed it taking into account that our economies have been really interconnected," Medvedev said. Meanwhile, Russia was not considering abandoning the euro as part of its currency basket and was interested in the success of the euro as a reserve currency for practical reasons, he said. The prime minister said half of Russia's trade was with the European Union and 41 percent of Russia's foreign exchange reserves was in euros. "We have not make any decisions to withdraw from the euro but we are watching what is going on in the EU economies, in the euro zone, in the so-to-say weak parts of the EU, with worry," Medvedev said, referring to Greece, Spain and some other countries. Russia believed the world economy would be stronger and more stable with more diversified reserve currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, euro, Swiss franc, British pound, potentially China's yuan and the Russian ruble, he said. Medvedev also urged European leaders to make robust moves and warned it could be too late if they delayed these moves any longer. "There are endless arguments on what is more important -- to take care of a national economy or to demonstrate European solidarity," Medvedev said. Medvedev is leaving for Paris on Monday to participate in the 17th Russia-France Inter-governmental Commission.