Business news

MINSK, 7 February (BelTA) – Russia should look into the situation before imposing bans on the delivery of foodstuffs from Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with Governor of Russia’s Kostroma Oblast Sergei Sitnikov on 7 February, BelTA has learned.

“Of course, we will survive this. The world is globalized today. Yes, losing the Russian market or something else will be difficult. But we will not lose the entire market. Even if Dankvert wants it, this will not happen. However, I do not understand what for it is needed. I cannot understand why they are doing this,” the president said.

The head of state remarked that the attempts to deliver products using grey schemes are regularly exposed. “But what does Minsk Oblast have to do with this?” Alexander Lukashenko wondered. “Why do you ban anything without a thorough examination? If you find at least one gram of bad meat in Minsk Oblast, then ban the import from the entire country.”

The president cited a positive example of cooperation between Belarus and China in the organization of delivery of beef to the Chinese market. “They have come as partners, visited our enterprises,” the Belarusian leader remarked.

The head of state also mentioned the delivery of processed agricultural products to the Russian market. “What rules do we violate here? We buy and process products. We can also buy meat in Ukraine or Poland, process it at our enterprises, manufacture new products and export them to all markets,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

He emphasized that not many enterprises process imported raw materials in Belarus. The majority of them use Belarusian farm products. “The available capacity for additional processing is 3%. Our processing enterprises operate at full capacity. Will 2-3% do any harm to Russia?” the head of state asked a rhetorical question.

He noted that Belarus’ deficit in the trade with Russia makes up several billions of U.S. dollars.

“This is simple economics. I am starting to think that the issue is about politics – they are afraid of losing Belarus, which is a 1,000km-long corridor,” the president remarked. “I have started to persuade them to get this idea out of their heads. I say this in public.”

Alexander Lukashenko reminded that when he had become president the country was facing the choice to deepen integration with the West or to preserve the economic ties with Russia which had been developed in the Soviet Union. “I chose the latter. This is the answer to the question where Lukashenko turned or is turning – to the West or to the East. I also initiated the referendum to decide whether we should be with or without Russia. More than two thirds of our people unanimously said that they wanted to be with Russia,” the head of state stressed.

The president added that Belarus and Russia maintain close ties in various fields. “We have common defense, a common air defense system,” he said.