Lukashenko: Russians were not aware what Belarusians are capable of

Prior to the imposition of sanctions against Belarus and Russia, the Russians had no idea what the Belarusians were capable of and to what extent Belarus is a high-tech country. This was stated by President Alexander Lukashenko at the meeting on the Belarusian-Russian cooperation on December 16, BelTA informs.

Speaking about the implementation of the Union State programs, the President stressed that an agreement on them had been reached once and remained inviolable. At the same time, there is no infringement on the sovereignty and independence of Belarus in any program, said Alexander Lukashenko.

According to him, no one doubts now that these programs were necessary as a strategic path: "The programs have specific and, most importantly, applied values and are designed to reduce the negative effect of the illegitimate Western sanctions, ensure the development of key sectors of the economy, the deepening of industrial cooperation and implementation of new import-substituting projects.

"Well, let's face it, until they plunged us into this crap of sanctions, the Russians did not know what the Belarusians are capable of: it's not as large as Russia, and even Kazakhstan or Iran. But when the sanctions were imposed and we and the Russians had to find a way out of some situations first of all, they saw that Belarus is a high-tech country, it produces everything they need to live today. Even if it does not produce anything, it can do it within two-three months to six months," said Alexander Lukashenko.

"This approach, according to the president, is effective even for complex industries like military-industrial complex and defense sector. There are programs outlined there, which will allow Belarus to call itself an extremely efficient state."

According to the President, the government constantly reports to him about the considerable work that has been done to create a legal framework for cooperation with Russia to develop these strategic programs.

"Is it likely that the signed agreements will remove all obstacles in the way of our goods, and will a really equal environment be created for business entities?" - listed a number of questions of the head of state.