– Our main partners are Russia and China. They are our traditional partners. They are our “anchor”. If someone thinks that we will leave Russia and China and tomorrow we will be welcomed with open arms, they are mistaken – said on Monday (July 22) Aleksandr Lukashenko during a conference in Minsk, quoted by the agency BiełTA– We are a small export economy, but we have to understand that these are billions of dollars. The competition is serious, and our goods have to withstand this competition everywhere. That is why Russia and China, and especially Russia, are our traditional market – he added.
Alaksandr Lukashenka: The European Union is our neighbor
Lukashenko then noted that Belarus is successfully developing relations with other friendly countries and has not lost contacts with the European Union. – The EU is our neighbor. We need to find ways to cooperate with them. If they need to buy something and we need to sell it on their market, it is a mutually beneficial deal. No matter how hard politicians try to build barriers, business will always find a way to break into certain markets – the Belarusian president emphasized.
EU sanctions on Belarus. Aleksandr Lukashenko changes rhetoric
Independent Belarusian analysts claim that Minsk's change in rhetoric is related to the introduction of a new package of economic sanctions by the European Union on July 1. The sanctions cover more than 100,000 goods, the import of which to Belarus and transit through this country is prohibited. The embargo has hit trade, services and transport. The EU has extended the ban on exports and dual-use technologies and advanced technologies that could contribute to increasing Belarusian industrial capacities and could be acquired by Russia.
Restrictions were imposed on the export of maritime goods and technologies and luxury goods to Belarus. The import, purchase or transfer of gold and diamonds from Belarus – including helium, coal and oil – was also prohibited. The European Union also imposed a ban on Belarusian accounting, engineering, legal and IT services.
The embargo on Belarus has caused serious economic and financial problems in the country. Sanctions were imposed on Minsk for the support of the regime of Alexander Lukashenko for Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine.