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The President noted: “In the run-up to the election I could say that everything will be fine and so on. Everything will indeed be okay, we are not going to perish. But it is not the key matter today. Prices and salaries are not the point. Economic wars are in progress, primarily with regard to finance. China has devalued the yuan by roughly 10% and the measure has struck the entire world! Russia, which is closer to us, has devalued the ruble by three times. We’ve been affected by the move, our prices for meat and milk in Russia are now half of what they were. Kazakhstan has devalued the national currency for the second time. It is a partner of ours, too. Let alone Ukraine.”

“What do the leaders of these countries intend to accomplish? They would like to save their manufacturing sector and the country. What should we do in this situation? We are not so affected by market trends as they are, we hold on to some things and can manage the processes, including pricing, but not excessively,” said the head of state. In his words, if price growth in Belarus is slowed down while prices abroad continue rising, then manufacturing will stop, first of all, the production sector. “This is why regardless of our desires we are forced to follow suit of the other countries,” noted Alexander Lukashenko.

The President pointed out that Belarusian agriculture is still subsidized. “It is a matter of survival for some. We cannot cover all the expenses without raising prices. If we raise prices, our products may lose their competitive edge. This is why we are forced to subsidize. The entire world supports agriculture to a larger or greater extent, this is why we have to do it, too. But if prices for your products are higher, then your revenues are higher. At the same time higher prices in retail have a negative effect on people,” said the Belarusian leader.

“We will pull through this year. I think the next one will be easier. Even considering all the negative factors. Because it seems to me that the situation is at its worst in our region, it cannot get any worse than that. This is why we are living through the most difficult times,” believes the head of state.

According to Alexander Lukashenko, market diversification is supposed to produce results. Belarus is working hard to sell its merchandise to Asia, Africa, and Latin America. “I think we will be able to compensate for losses in Russia with these markets. We just have to work a bit harder,” noted the President.

“We have to keep the country for our children. It will be bad if Belarus becomes a province of some other country once again,” believes the Belarusian leader. In his words, Belarus has to live in peace both with Europe and Russia but Belarusians need to live in their own land. “Just like health tranquility and security cannot be bought or sold. These are the things we have to preserve,” stressed the President.