Lebedev: Western sanctions failed, CIS members got stronger

Western sanctions have failed, and the CIS countries have become even stronger: their co-operation has not just intensified, but it is growing significantly – as stated by the CIS Secretary General, Sergei Lebedev, before a meeting of the Council of Permanent Plenipotentiary Representatives of the CIS member states to the statutory and other bodies of the Commonwealth

“We are interacting even greater, though far-abroad countries have closed themselves for the CIS members, transport routes are being blocked, our co-operation in the energy sector is being curtailed, gas, oil and electricity are being abandoned, and pressure is being exerted on other countries not to trade with Belarus and Russia. Such close and fruitful co-operation between the CIS countries is the only way out that can save our economies and internal affairs. As practice shows, we are succeeding,” Mr. Lebedev said.

The CIS Secretary General added, “There have been repeated statements in the CIS – and the West recognises – that the sanctions imposed against us have failed. The economy has not collapsed, and the prophecies of the West and the United States have not come true. Moreover, a number of CIS countries have recorded a slight growth, and mutual trade in the Commonwealth has increased from 20 to 30 percent. Co-operation in the field of innovation has become stronger. Belarusians are doing well by promoting their machine-building projects in Kazakhstan and other CIS countries, building facilities to produce agricultural products and factories to assemble automotive equipment in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Russia is also not far behind in these matters. We have significantly enhanced co-operation in economic affairs and the cultural sphere between our countries. Only in this way, by uniting our forces, can we overcome the barriers of the West and resist this pressure from the outside.”

Minsk hosted a meeting of the Council of Permanent Plenipotentiary Representatives of the CIS member states to the statutory and other bodies of the Commonwealth on February 27th, and its participants discussed the implementation of the roadmap for realisation of the initiatives voiced by the heads of delegations during meetings of the Council of Heads of State, the Council of Heads of Government, the Council of Foreign Ministers and the CIS Economic Council in terms of security co-operation. They also summarised the results of foreign policy co-operation within the Commonwealth in 2023 in the context of the CIS international positioning.

The meeting participants considered proposals for the draft agenda of a meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States scheduled to be held on May 24th in Ashgabat.