Expert: Belarus interested in developing alternative payment instruments

US President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he will impose 100 percent trade duties on goods from the BRICS countries if they create a new currency or abandon the Dollar. In his talk with Alfa Radio, Aleksandr Shpakovsky, a deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, commented on why the United States is so concerned about this issue and what position Belarus adheres to.

"De-dollarisation is proceeding at a slow pace probably, but this is objectively the pace that states are capable of today, striving to form some kind of alternative world order, including in the financial sphere," the MP said. “The United States is attentively responding to these threats. There is a difference between Trump and his supporters and the leading neocons, whose interests are publicly expressed by Biden, Harris, Blinken, but this difference is actually a dispute between the globalists and the American imperialists. Well, between two evils it is not worth choosing, but Donald Trump and his supporters are more realistic about the foreign and domestic policy, if we look from the angle of, let’s say, greater involvement in the domestic agenda and the understanding that the United States can overburden itself (the country is a value for American imperialists and nationalists, unlike globalists who view the whole world as their home). They [imperialists] assess the international agenda and relations with key geopolitical actors with a greater common sense.”

Continuing the topic, the MP added, “We are ready for a constructive dialogue with these forces [in the United States] and look forward to it. Of course, we do not expect them to silently watch as the planet tries to get rid of the American stranglehold. Of course, this cannot be, because it is contrary to their interests. Donald Trump and his team will actively use the US resources, finances and sanctions to oppose those who are against them. Therefore, the will of the states that have declared their desire to create an alternative financial system will come to the fore: will it be possible to bring this process to its logical conclusion and an immediate positive result for its participants, or will the initiative be limited to the level of discussions and talks because of threats coming from Washington? The position of Belarus is that we are interested in developing alternative payment instruments, switching to national currencies in trade, and abandoning the Dollar. The explanation is simple: since the mid-1990s, we have been an object of the US economic aggression. This fact dictates certain goals and guidelines for us in the field of foreign policy. Based on its capabilities, Belarus will continue this course anyway.”