Golovchenko: Russia is number one partner for Belarus

“Belarus’ number one partner is Russia. In 2022, there was a certain increase in physical volumes of supplies, including trucks, TV sets, metal structures, petroleum products and tires, but it is not a reason to relax,” Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko said at a meeting of the Foreign Ministry’s board focusing on the results of work of the Belarusian diplomatic bodies in 2022.

As noted by the PM, Belarus needs to participate in the implementation of Russian federal and regional programmes, expand industrial co-operation and create joint facilities, without waiting for the Russian side to create them with other partners.

“As I said while presenting the Minister, the Foreign Ministry should not be a bystander in matters of union integration with Russia. The Russian side links the implementation of a number of agreements with the implementation of 28 Union State programmes, so the Foreign Ministry should take an active part in this process,” Mr. Golovchenko said, adding that the EAEU is still a significant direction. “It is necessary to interact as effectively as possible on all platforms of the union with our Eurasian partners, strengthening foreign economic and co-operative ties with them,” he stressed.

According to the Prime Minister, the development of co-operation with the countries of the far arc is also among the priorities of the Belarusian diplomacy. “High- and top-level visits to these countries should become regular and embrace real projects. As regards the multilateral track, efforts should be concentrated on the implementation of the task set by the Head of State to accelerate Belarus' entry into the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation. It is necessary to develop a format for effective liaisons between Belarus and BRICS to ensure real economic benefits,” he said.

Mr. Golovchenko added that the Foreign Ministry’s analytical and informational work does not give rise to unfavorable criticism. “It is necessary to continue to strengthen the activities of foreign institutions in this direction. As before, they lack activity and initiative, and some still focus on retranslation of the central body’s messages. Take use all available channels, bilateral contacts and platforms of international organisations to clearly communicate our position on the international agenda,” he addressed the meeting participants.