Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: Belarus remains reliable customs partner

MINSK, 31 August (BelTA) - Belarus keeps up the reputation of a reliable partner in the customs matters, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Chairman of the State Customs Committee Vladimir Orlovsky on 31 August, BelTA has learned.

According to the head of state, the analysis of the situation shows that Belarus performs its role in the international economic arena well. “We are a transit country, we have a huge transit potential. We have retained the reputation of a reliable partner and fully perform our functions in terms of this transit potential,” stressed the president.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also touched on sanctions. “Of course, the role of the Customs Committee in this situation is huge. How do we help our enterprises? You understand very well that the pressure on the border coupled with the sanctions will be too much for our companies,” said the head of state. According to him, the Belarusian companies should be supported.

As of 27 August, according to the State Customs Committee, the national budget received Br6.4 billion in payments from the customs committee. The amount was 25% more year-on-year.

The flow of cargo vehicles passing through the customs border rose by 12% (about 1.6 million). The volume of goods moved by road increased by 11% and amounted to 21 million tonnes.

The budget received about Br23 million as a result of the law enforcement activities of the customs authorities, up more than 62% year-on-year. As of 27 August the State Customs Committee detected 335 facts of illegal movement of drug trafficking (207 such cases in the same period of 2020). More than 433kg of drugs were seized, which was five times more than in the previous year.

This year, the work to improve the customs infrastructure continued. The main part of the funds was spent on the reconstruction of the Verkhny Terebezhov checkpoint. Its capacity increased by 3.5 times and amounted to 900 vehicles per day. As a result of the infrastructure modernization efforts, the throughput capacity of checkpoints has increased: in 2002 it was 11,000 vehicles per day. As of early 2021 this figure reached 32,000.

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