Opinions & Interviews

Mishustin: Belarus, Russia will withstand Western sanctions and will become stronger

MINSK, 20 June (BelTA) - Belarus and Russia will withstand the pressure of Western sanctions and will become stronger, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said during a meeting with Belarusian counterpart Roman Golovchenko in Minsk on 20 June, BelTA has learned.

"Together we are fighting back against the unprecedented sanctions pressure from the unfriendly states. This compares to an all-out economic war. Its goal is to cut off Belarus and Russia from the international financial system, slow down economic development, undermine the technological sovereignty of our countries and ultimately worsen the quality of life of our citizens. I am convinced that together we will withstand this pressure and will become stronger and will be able to deal with the impact of Western sanctions, including by advancing the integration in the Union State, launching joint projects, developing new manufactures and logistics chains," Mikhail Mishustin said.

Russia sincerely values its good-neighborly and allied relations with Belarus, he stressed. “I hope that we will take our cooperation to an even higher level, and also fill the integration agenda of the Union State with new content. The Union State Treaty provisions approved by the Supreme State Council in November 2021 and the 28 Union State programs that we are currently implementing provide a reliable foundation for this. Systematic work on the Union State programs has been launched at the level of the governments of Belarus and Russia. More than a third of the 983 activities have already been implemented. Priority is given to the development of the common social and economic space, the deepening of cooperation in industry, energy and transport,” the Russian prime minister said.

Trade and economic cooperation between the two countries is developing successfully, he said. Direct interaction between the regions plays an important role in the development of trade and economic relations. “I am convinced that the forthcoming Forum of Belarusian and Russian Regions will give an even more profound impetus to the interregional cooperation,” Mikhail Mishustin added.

The talks between the heads of government of Belarus and Russia took place before the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council on 20 June. “Our countries are actively working to deepen integration in the EAEU. In the face of sanctions, we ensure the saturation of commodity markets with the products in demand. Today we have seen an example of such cooperation - the Amkodor enterprise,” the Russian prime minister said.

In 2021 the trade between Belarus and Russia amounted to $40.1 billion, up by  35% over 2020. Belarus' exports to Russia totaled $16.4 billion, up by 24.6%.

As of 1 January 2022, there were 113 entities of the commodity distribution network of Belarusian enterprises in Russia.

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