Events

MINSK, 30 January (BelTA) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed statements on Belarus’ unwillingness to implement integration projects with Russia as nonsense. The head of state made this statement as he met with Yaroslavl Oblast Governor Sergei Yastrebov on 30 January, BelTA has learnt.

“I have just mentioned joint integration projects. I will tell you honestly that very often the Russian political establishment accuses us of not wanting to implement joint projects. I would like to say we are in favor of integration, but everything should be done as it is done in Yaroslavl,” the Belarusian leader said. He cited close cooperation between companies of Belarus and Yaroslavl Oblast, in particular supplies of Yaroslavl engines which are widely used in the Belarusian engineering industry.

“Integration does not mean buying our enterprises, oil refineries for a song. I have always said that they have to pay a fair price if they want to buy them,” the Belarusian head of state said.

“Why should the governments discuss such project? This should be done at the level of companies,” the President believes.

“One should understand that Belarus is not rich as to hand out its property, especially its strategic assets. Belarus aims at integration and this integration should be practical, not in word. It means concrete projects of concrete companies,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

Alexander Lukashenko said that if for example MAZ wanted to forge closer ties with the Yaroslavl plant, including the exchange of assets, it would be understandable. “If some senior official shows an interest in our company and says that we must get together to fight... Fight against who? We have a single market. We can divide it without the exchange of shares,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

According to the President, any such project should aim, first of all, at modernization, and second at the advancement to new markets with joint products. "To do idle talking about the integration is not right. It is like trying to grab a company in another country for a song. Of course, we would never agree to such approaches. We would like this to be honest and open, and to know the objectives of such integration projects,” the President said.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that since the Soviet times Belarus and Russia have had close cooperation ties. "We have never given up on deep integration with the Russian Federation, with any region of Russia. We would find common ground with the regions and governors much faster than with the Russian Government," the President said.

“I often say that if not cooperation with the regions of Russia, we would not have had any Belarus-Russia Union State or close relations. Maybe we would bicker like they are doing now in Ukraine. In the time when there was no understanding with Russia’s central government, the regions saved the Belarusian-Russian relations. There were times like these,” said the Belarusian leader.