Georgiy Mamedov, Russia's ambassador to Canada, shrugged off the latest sanctions announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper against Russian and Ukrainian officials over the crisis in Ukraine.
"I'm an old man. I've been around. I've seen a lot of sanctions," Mamedov told reporters during a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Mamedov said he did not expect further sanctions, but if they came, Russia would survive those too.
"I feel quite confident that we come to a compromise. I don't expect any escalation of sanctions, but even in the worst case scenario, I shall assure that we will not only survive but prosper, given our diversified economic ties with other countries in the world."
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty Tuesday to annex Crimea, describing the move as correcting past injustice and a necessary response to what he called Western encroachment upon Russia's vital interests.
Putin said, in an emotional 40-minute speech: "In people's hearts and minds, Crimea has always been an integral part of Russia."
Mamedov also told reporters a diplomat allegedly stabbed in an altercation with an Ottawa man last week will not be coming back to Canada.
"I will not risk his life twice," Mamedov said. He said the diplomat was stabbed in the back.
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