A. Lukashenko urges not to dramatize situation with sanctions

Restrictive measures have never had the desired political effect. And Belarus is no exception here! Our President recalled this at the meeting with the government today. They discussed how to work under Western sanctions.

It is obvious that this is not a struggle for some mythical human rights, but a desire to eliminate competitors and destroy our economy.

The main countermeasure in this situation is the joint active work of the government, diplomats and enterprises! It’s vital to seek and find new opportunities for our promotion in world markets. Despite all the conjunctural difficulties, the results of the Belarusian economy are better than expected. The main thing is to continue to support this positive trend!

This is not the first year that the West attacks Minsk with sanctions! But this pressure of restrictions affects enterprises, where tens of thousands people work, so the President keeps the situation under control.

Brussels and Washington began to use sanction methods after it became clear that the blitzkrieg had failed immediately after the elections. Attempts of a coup d'etat have failed. Foreign opponents have decided to stifle the economy. It’s not democratic to ruin enterprises, bring domestic giants to the crises, drive Belarusians into poverty, and watch them gping into the streets.

The sanctions war is definitely not good for our neighbors. It turned out that such actions can cost, for example, a third of the income of the Lithuanian railway and the port of Klaipeda. This is the price to pay for other people's geopolitical games.

It’s not a big problem for us to rebuild trade chains, but it takes time and money! This means missed opportunities. This does not help to compete in the post-pandemic global market.

Sanctions are an instrument of non-European competition. But our country worked a lot on the diversification of the market and it would be strengthened!

Today, when the world economy is so globalized, no one will be able to close the country in the center of Europe. Moreover, Belarus is a reliable partner for many states.

Sanctions are a challenge and a window of opportunity for the economy. Belarus needs to be more active in the African and Asian markets. By the way, almost two thirds of the world's population lives there. The world is big. And much depends on how intensively our government, diplomats and enterprises work.

By the way, even in these difficult conditions there is a positive trend in the economy. Belarus' GDP in January-August grew by 3%, and the foreign trade balance broke the record of 2013. The trade added both in exports and in foreign exchange earnings. The demand for trucks, tractors, foodstuffs is growing. According to forecasts, it will remain in the next year as well. So it is important for us to keep the momentum.

As for the transit of fertilizers and oil products, Belarus is ready to increase cargo flows through Russia. The need of the world market for these products will put everything in its place, according to the First Deputy Prime Minister. He noted that the share of Belarusian potash accounts for more than 20% of world exports. From the point of view of global food security and business as such, Nikolai Snopkov drew attention to the fact that the average cost of long-term contracts is just over $ 200 per ton of potassium.

The deputies have already voted to strengthen responsibility for calls, including for damage to the state economy, in the first reading.