Opinions & Interviews

PM: Eurasian integration is of priority for Belarus

SOCHI, 9 June (BelTA) - Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko spoke about the significance of the Eurasian integration for Belarus at a plenary session of the Eurasian Congress’23 in Sochi on 9 June, BelTA has learned.

Speaking about the sanctions pressure from the West, Roman Golovchenko said: “We adapted to the new reality within six months. The economy has been recovering since August 2022. These measures would not have been effective without the use of integration opportunities, interaction both in the format of the Union State of Belarus and Russia and the EAEU. The actual growth in trade with the EAEU has leveled out the shortage of exports from unfriendly countries. This is the main answer to the question what membership in the EAEU gives our countries.”

“In the Union State, the negative effect of the Western sanctions is quite effectively offset by the expansion of cooperation on all fronts. You know that the presidents of Russia and Belarus have signed 28 Union State programs, which we are now implementing and which are aimed at the progressive deepening of integration,” the head of government said. “For example, thanks to the active support of our Russian friends, the logistics of export trade flows has been adjusted very promptly. More than 20 Russian ports have replaced Baltic and Ukrainian port facilities for us.”

The prime minister noted: “In this regard, Eurasian integration is a priority for Belarus. I believe everyone will agree that our common decisions to minimize the consequences not only of sanctions pressure, but also the overall high turbulence of the global economy have let our five countries increase the sustainability of national economies. Amid sanctions restrictions and protectionism, the Union's GDP in 2022 decreased by only 1.6%. This is two times lower than experts predicted. There are good prospects in industry and agriculture, and work has been intensified to ensure technological sovereignty in the EAEU.”

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