Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 15 April (BelTA) – Belarus hopes to maintain good trade relations with Ukraine, despite political problems in the country, Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei told media following a ceremony to sign the agreement on cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for 2014-2016 on 15 April, BelTA has learnt.

“The trade with Ukraine has slightly gone down this year. We, however, have been able to preserve the trade surplus and believe that despite the ongoing political crisis in the country, we will keep a high level of trade and economic cooperation,” the Foreign Minister said. The relevant action plan has been developed for this purpose.

According to Vladimir Makei, the impact of the Ukrainian factor with the Belarusian export is taken into account. “As for the sanctions against Russia, they are introduced by American companies-partners. I believe that the current situation may open new additional niches for advancing our products to Russia which is Belarus’ main trade and economic partner,” the minister said.