News & Events in Belarus

According to the head of state, the government conference was arranged in view of the recent changes in global economy and politics. “New trends are getting more and more pronounced in many countries starting with the USA and Europe. In essence, global integration processes are getting superseded by the recognition of primacy of national interests. In layman’s terms the world is getting nationalized,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

In the economic sphere the changes are manifested as the desire to protect domestic markets, develop manufacturing in one’s own territory in addition to keeping out competition. In politics the focus is being shifted to domestic problems, which are getting more pronounced and intense. A surge of public protests and the growing popularity of right-wing parties and politicians testify to that. “You can see what is going on in Germany. It is particularly pronounced in France in the run-up to the presidential election,” noted Alexander Lukashenko.

“Belarus is an open country and an export-oriented one. This is why we have to take into account the new trends and promptly respond to them. How are they affecting our economy?” wondered Alexander Lukashenko. The President remarked that positive and negative aspects can be seen. “On the whole, the drive towards prioritizing national interests matches our intentions, too. It is a fact. We keep in touch with the global trends,” stated Alexander Lukashenko. “However, there is a negative side to the process. It is getting more difficult to sell our products and services on markets of other countries, which are busy introducing more and more barriers. It is alarming that friendly nations stoop so low as to use the tactics, too. This is why we need to find ways to overcome these hindrances while preserving the traditional trade and economic ties as much as possible and looking for new niches for Belarusian exports.”

Alexander Lukashenko said he also wanted participants of the government conference to answer a number of other questions. The President said he wanted to know about efforts to protect the domestic market, whether the market is saturated with quality products, what effect import-substituting measures have had, what is being done to enable favorable conditions for the development of the Belarusian private sector, and how internal reserves are used to address emerging problems.

“The social and political situation in the country requires a thorough analysis. A stable country and a calm society are the most important values of our nation!” stressed the head of state.