Belarusian-Austrian business forum in Vienna

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko talked about key principles in cooperation with his country in his speech during a Belarusian-Austrian business forum in Vienna on 12 November.

Speaking about his participation in the business forum, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that sending some sort of signal to the business community was not the idea. “First of all, I wanted to demonstrate my respect for you. If someone wants to receive some signal on top of that, I don’t mind. Consider yourselves getting the signal right now,” the head of state said.

The president stressed that Belarus and Austria have a huge untapped potential. He described the bilateral trade in the vicinity of $200 million as nothing but a shameful fact. “It is a shame. We should get rid of it fast,” the Belarusian leader stated.

Aleksandr Lukashenko told representatives of the private sector plainly: “If you come to us with investments, if you work and treat Belarusians like you treat Austrians, you will always be my citizens to me and I will support you by all means.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed the readiness to build transparent and mutually beneficial relations with foreign companies. “You don’t have to bring suitcases full of money as bribes. It is the most important thing. If you do that, you will never be welcome in Belarus. To be precise, you will be welcome to serve time in prison. This is why I warn you: we will not tolerate any bribery and corruption. Come honestly, openly, and transparently,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko assured that Belarus will follow the agreements that have been reached to the letter: “If we come to an agreement, we will always honor our commitments even if it turns out doing so is detrimental to our country. A deal is a deal!”

“These are the key principles we will follow while working with you. Come and let’s work together. Come into the safe country of Belarus where there are highly qualified people, where there are responsible people who have had their fair share of suffering over the course of history and know how to appreciate the money they earn,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.