Opinions & Interviews
Belarus’ ambassador: Cooperation with Russia is progressing positively
Yuri Seliverstov
MOSCOW, 8 May (BelTA) - Belarusian-Russian cooperation is advancing on a positive note, Belarus’ Ambassador to Russia Yuri Seliverstov told the media on 8 May, BelTA has learned.
According to the ambassador, bilateral cooperation is proceeding smoothly in a businesslike manner. “The situation is stable. We’d like to see some growth in trade. The five-year plan targets are undoubtedly there,” the diplomat said.
He pointed out several issues being addressed, taking into account Russia’s introduction of special control systems to clean up its domestic market: “We’re discussing this with our colleagues right now, how we’ll operate under these conditions.”
“Within the Union State, we’ve made more progress than in the quintet [Eurasian Economic Union]. We have deeper integration. Overall, everything is moving forward positively,” Yuri Seliverstov said.
However, he cautioned against complacency. “We face serious challenges. We need to boost quality too. Unfortunately, our producers note that Russia’s tighter monetary policy is making it harder for Russian consumers to buy our goods. But we can’t lag behind either. On the Belarusian side, we’re working on our own schemes to maintain, or even exceed, last year’s trade volume of nearly $54 billion.”
Yuri Seliverstov confirmed some dips in certain sectors on the Russian market, as reported in Russian media. This includes machine-building products and others requiring major investments.
“Of course, that affects us. But our market share in Russia gives us room to avoid declines by improving quality, offering better service, and financial options,” he said.
One key initiative is opening modern multi-brand centers that bring a wide range of industrial goods under one roof.
As BelTA reported, during Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s ongoing working visit to Russia, he is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The leaders will discuss a broad range of bilateral issues, the international agenda, and the regional situation.
print version
make home page
add to bookmarks
