Expert: Belarus places stake on co-operation with friendly countries that offer equal competition footing
Belarus' foreign policy relations are usually transformed into foreign economic ones, which is confirmed by the working visit of President Aleksandr Lukashenko to Oman, where a number of important issues of co-operation were discussed. As noted by PhD in Economics, analyst Georgy Grits, Belarus is interested in intensifying interaction with friendly countries.
“There is an opinion that Oman is only an oil-producing country and has nothing to do with Belarus, so to speak. However, this is not true,” the expert noted. “The states of the Middle East region are mostly oil-producing, and they are the main players of OPEC. Nevertheless, more than 50 percent of GDP are generated by other sectors of the economy there, including in Oman, which means the principle of diversification is fully operational. From this point of view, the interests of the Republic of Belarus in creating a hub in this region are well-founded and real. Differently speaking, these countries are a window, an entrance to one of the most actively growing continents: Africa.”
Mr. Grits emphasised that Belarus' joining organisations such as BRICS and SCO (the country is a partner in the former and a full member in the latter) is not only about a new status. “This indicates that the republic is coming to the region as a business entity, including as a representative of these two important international organisations,” he explained.
The expert added that Belarus’ focus on the diversification of its exports into three directions, as it was prior to 2020, has changed due to the current foreign policy situation, “The republic places stake on co-operation with friendly countries that offer equal conditions of competition. A focus on the countries of the Middle East region, the visit to Oman indicate that this choice and, most importantly, the results of the visit of the Head of State are not sudden: they are predictable and pragmatic.”
As noted, Oman is interested in the Belarusian agricultural machinery, and this is not the first experience of such co-operation for Belarus. “The projects of Belarusian enterprises to open assembly plants – i.e. in Egypt – have been successfully implemented, and they are operational for years. Similar initiatives are also being developed in the south of Africa,” the expert noted. “Actually, it is important to understand that Africa is a large and growing continent, and its solvency is increasing as well.”
Mr. Grits stressed that Belarusian enterprises are entering a promising, but at the same time tricky market with very fierce competition, so their products must meet international criteria. “This is not just the use of existing competencies, but I would say it is a kind of challenge of meeting international trends and competitive positions of the world's leading multinational companies. On the other hand, as they say, a pike lives in the lake to keep all fish awake. After all, it is in the competitive struggle that quality is getting better,” he stressed.
