Further integration with Russia implies full preservation of sovereignty of both countries - Lukashenko
<p> MINSK, Feb 11 - PrimePress. Further integration with Russia implies full preservation of the sovereignty of both countries without the formation of any new supranational bodies, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said in an address to the VI All-Belarusian People's Congress on 11 February. </p> <p> </p> <p> "Belarus will be advocating economic integration with the Russian Federation. We openly declare today that we are ready for further substantive work to improve inter-sectoral cooperation within the Union State with respect for mutual interests and on the basis of equality of the two members of the Union," said Lukashenko. </p> <p> </p> <p> "Equal conditions of management, energy consumption, access to the markets and participation in state procurement are of vital necessity," the president said. "There is no gratuitous gas and oil or free financial resources," he said. Lukashenko stressed that cooperation with Russia, including support for Belarus through loans, is no charity. In his opinion, by giving aid and loans to Belarus, Russia is helping itself. “After all, Belarus concentrates the finishing industries for many sectors of the Russian economy. Cooperation gives jobs to millions of Russians, and Russian loans are not charity, because Belarus pays a lot of interest on them,” Lukashenko said. </p> <p> </p> <p> “Relations with the European Union are important to us because we have the longest border with it and a high degree of economic, social, cultural and, finally, political interdependence. No less important vector for our diplomacy are the countries of the so-called far arc, where our close, despite the geography, and friendly China plays an important role. With that, our main economic partner and strategic ally has been and will be our Russia,” said Lukashenko. </p> <p> </p> <p> He said he sees no good reason to abandon multi-vector foreign policy, but "recent events have confirmed the special importance of the Belarusian-Russian relations. “The assistance of the Russian Federation has been of paramount importance for us. This position of Russia is not assistance to the incumbent government, but support for the brotherly state and the Belarusian people in the current and forthcoming global transformations,” Lukashenko said. End </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>
2021-02-12
Primepress
Further integration with Russia implies full preservation of sovereignty of both countries - Lukashenko
MINSK, Feb 11 - PrimePress. Further integration with Russia implies full preservation of the sovereignty of both countries without the formation of any new supranational bodies, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said in an address to the VI All-Belarusian People's Congress on 11 February.
"Belarus will be advocating economic integration with the Russian Federation. We openly declare today that we are ready for further substantive work to improve inter-sectoral cooperation within the Union State with respect for mutual interests and on the basis of equality of the two members of the Union," said Lukashenko.
"Equal conditions of management, energy consumption, access to the markets and participation in state procurement are of vital necessity," the president said. "There is no gratuitous gas and oil or free financial resources," he said. Lukashenko stressed that cooperation with Russia, including support for Belarus through loans, is no charity. In his opinion, by giving aid and loans to Belarus, Russia is helping itself. “After all, Belarus concentrates the finishing industries for many sectors of the Russian economy. Cooperation gives jobs to millions of Russians, and Russian loans are not charity, because Belarus pays a lot of interest on them,” Lukashenko said.
“Relations with the European Union are important to us because we have the longest border with it and a high degree of economic, social, cultural and, finally, political interdependence. No less important vector for our diplomacy are the countries of the so-called far arc, where our close, despite the geography, and friendly China plays an important role. With that, our main economic partner and strategic ally has been and will be our Russia,” said Lukashenko.
He said he sees no good reason to abandon multi-vector foreign policy, but "recent events have confirmed the special importance of the Belarusian-Russian relations. “The assistance of the Russian Federation has been of paramount importance for us. This position of Russia is not assistance to the incumbent government, but support for the brotherly state and the Belarusian people in the current and forthcoming global transformations,” Lukashenko said. End