Lukashenko calls on EEU leaders to take contemporary challenges more seriously

<p> MINSK, Dec 10 - PrimePress. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko urged leaders of member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia) to respond more seriously to the challenges of our time. He made a statement to this effect on December 10 during a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, which was held by videoconference, the president’s press service informed. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “I very much expect that this will be the last year when we are communicating on ‘television’. Our honourable chairman (former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev – editor’s note) was right - not only do we miss each other, but it is time for us to start seriously responding to the challenges that life constantly throws at us,” said Lukashenko. </p> <p>   </p> <p> In his words, the EEU countries are still subject to varying degrees of pressure from the West, but this pressure will increase. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “We have obtained evidence that emissaries from the Western countries, including the United States, have already showed up at your government ministries to try to persuade you to join pressures on Belarus,” Lukashenko said. </p> <p>   </p> <p> He believes that more packages of sanctions would be imposed on Belarus. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “This economic pressure is being exerted with the aim to strangle Belarus. They say outright that their aim is to replace not only the authorities, but the state system in Belarus, too,” Lukashenko said, adding that his country had to resist this pressure. “First and foremost, I must thank Russia for support and all heads of state for the assistance to us they furnish whenever they can.” </p> <p>   </p> <p> He warned that greater pressures would be put on the EAEU countries as well. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “They will be trying to strangle you, to set you against Belarus, to join the sanctions against my country,” he said. “So I am asking you not to be distracted by these urges and to stay united, because pressures will be mounting.” </p> <p>   </p> <p> Lukashenko suspects that the West will not confine itself to pressure on Belarus and Russia, but will proceed with systematically eliminating competitors. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “This situation has clearly demonstrated that we have no friends there. For this reason we can count only on ourselves. We can supply ourselves with everything we need.” </p> <p>   </p> <p> He believes that the EEU countries should rely only on their own strength and that they have every opportunity to establish import substitution. </p> <p>   </p> <p> As previously reported, after the August 2020 presidential election in Belarus a political crisis began. The EU, UK, US and Canada has been gradually imposing sanctions against Belarusian officials as well as individual businesses, accusing Minsk of election rigging and abuse of human rights. The EU has imposed individual and economic sectoral sanctions since 25 June 2021. In particular, EU restrictions target Belarus’ trade in oil products, potash fertilizers, raw materials and equipment for the production of tobacco and tobacco products. </p> <p>   </p> <p> On 9 August 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on major sectors of the Belarusian economy, including the potash and oil refining industry, government securities and money market instruments, as well as dual-use goods and technologies and the aviation industry. </p> <p>   </p> <p> On 2 December 2021, the EU, the US, the UK and Canada adopted new sanctions against Belarus. In particular, the U.S. expanded its Belarus sanctions list by including another 20 Belarusian individuals, 12 legal entities and two aircraft; the EU added 17 individuals and 11 legal entities, and the UK imposed sanctions on Belaruskali and eight individuals. End </p> <p>   </p>

2021-12-11

Primepress