Alikhanov: Western sanctions won’t be able to break our confidence in the right to independently determine our path of development
The actions of the unfriendly Western countries won’t be able to break our confidence in the right to independently determine the paths of development of Belarus and Russia – as stated by Kaliningrad Region Governor Anton Alikhanov during his meeting with the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko
He thanked the Belarusian leader for the opportunity of a personal meeting and the warm friendly welcome to the Kaliningrad delegation.
“Co-operation of our region with Belarus, with the Belarusian regions has a solid foundation,” Anton Alikhanov underlined. “The regions of Belarus are reliable partners for us. Our region is actively liaising with the Grodno, Gomel, Vitebsk, Minsk, and Brest regions. Today, within the framework of the 18th meeting of the Belarusian-Russian Council for Long-term Co-operation, an agreement on co-operation with the Mogilev Region will be signed.”
The Russian Governor noted that the Kaliningrad delegation began its visit with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Victory Monument in Minsk, “This is a symbol of our shared memory of the heroic deed of our fraternal nations in the fight against Nazism. Most recently, on May 9th, together with our President Vladimir Putin, you celebrated Victory Day on Red Square in Moscow. It’s very important for us to remember and honour our shared history, especially today. You spoke about unfriendly actions by the US and the EU. Despite everything, these actions cannot change our memory, they cannot break our confidence in the right to independently determine the paths of development of our countries and peoples.”
Speaking about the unprecedented attempt by the West in 2022 to restrict the free movement of goods by rail and road from both Russia and Belarus, Anton Alikhanov said, “It’s just a desecration of the rules of the WTO, of international agreements. Let me remind you that when the Baltic States joined the EU, they gave legal guarantees that Kaliningrad transit would be ensured and there would never be any obstacles to this.”
Nevertheless, Anton Alikhanov added that under the new conditions, part of the commodity flow was redirected to the ports of the Leningrad Region, to St. Petersburg. In particular, Belarusian goods are actively transported by sea. The Russian governor drew attention to the fact that, by decision of the Russian President, the Russian side allocated 3.8bn Russian Roubles this year alone to subsidise sea transportation so that it does not become more expensive than rail transport.
