Lukashenko: export diversification is main task of industry
The main goal of the industrial sector is export diversification – as stated by President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko during today’s meeting on the development of the Belarusian industry
Starting the conversation, the Head of State recalled that last week there was a serious conversation about agriculture, particularly, about the harvesting campaign. It is appropriate to consider the discussion of industrial issues in the development.
“The two sectors of the economy are interconnected, these are the most important sectors for our state,” the President stressed.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also recalled that the decision to hold a meeting on industry was made in late June. Then, during the personnel appointments, it was determined that the results of the work of industrial organisations would be reviewed and prospects would be discussed with the new Industry Minister.
The President drew attention to the positive trends in the industry, “Judging by the information that I have, the situation is generally going well. Production volumes have been steadily growing for several years. Last year, the industry exported $6.5bn – a record over the past decade, while farmers generated $8bn.”
At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko pointed out that success is not a reason to rest on our laurels:
At the same time, Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that success is not a reason to rest on our laurels, “In no case should we relax. All assigned tasks for the production and sale of goods must be completed. We identified the main directions for the development of the Belarusian industry in April during an expanded meeting. The tasks remain the same, there is no need to clarify them. But if you have revised them and see that something is wrong there, please, tell me today. Export diversification is our main goal. As I say, we can produce everything, but the main thing is to sell our produce. There is demand for our products. There are states and countries ready to buy our goods.”
The Head of State underlined that Belarus has two main partners today: Russia and China.
“These are our traditional partners, so to speak, this is our anchor. If someone thinks that we will leave Russia and China, and everyone will accept us with outstretched hands – it’s complete nonsense,” the Belarusian leader said.
At the same time, the President drew attention to the fact that the Belarusian export economy may be small on a global scale, but it still generates billions of US Dollars, “The competition is tough, and no one is really waiting for us anywhere with our products. Therefore, Russia and China, especially Russia, are our traditional market; there’s no way around it.”
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, the Ukrainian market has been objectively lost today, which used to be premium for many goods. However, this loss was replaced by other directions.
“Our relations with friendly countries are developing successfully. We are not losing contacts with the European Union. These are our neighbours, and we need to find ways to liaise with them. If they need to buy something from us, and we need to sell something on their market, it’s a mutual interest. You know, if we need something and people want it, I have contacts with some private traders, who can calmly bring equipment, sell goods, buy from us. No matter how politicians try to build a barrier, the economy and business, if necessary, will find ways to break into certain markets,” the Head of State asserted.
At the same time, the President pointed to a long-established strategy of not putting all the eggs in one basket, “The more baskets, the better. Hence the focus on the countries of the far arc.”
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, the African vector is very promising.
“The future belongs to Africa. Who can dispute this? Nobody. Yes, there are problems and difficulties, but today we have already worked out good contacts,” the Belarusian leader noted.
In particular, the President cited the example of already quite advanced co-operation with Zimbabwe and Egypt, while also noting the ongoing dialogue with Mozambique, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Kenya.
Belarus also boasts good contacts with the countries of the Asian and Middle Eastern region. The President mentioned his recent meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Astana, “They’re waiting for us. We have good relations with people who have come to power there. They asked me to visit them. I promised them that we would resume our talks. It’s a huge country, having more than 200 million people, it’s a nuclear power.”
Work is also underway to restore interaction with India.
“Everything is going fine. We’ve identified those responsible for all these areas,” Aleksandr Lukashenko summed up.
At the same time, the President underlined that there are problems for the development of co-operation in different regions of the world. In particular, settlements are difficult in certain cases. However, acceptable schemes can always be found, including through commodity exchange operations.
“We have interest and opportunities in Russia, China, and along this entire perimeter. The far arc has been determined. Others will also be tied to these states; this is not the final option,” the Head of State stressed.
The President noted that Belarus’ accession to the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation opens up completely unique opportunities to promote industrial products to the SCO member states, “It is necessary to develop these areas widely... For me, the SCO primarily means economy. Our main partners are on this site. I can meet and talk to anyone, agreeing on something. This is not only to show that we are meeting with each other, but it is an additional window into these countries. All these countries, including Russia, need mechanisation across various industries. It is necessary that training and service centres be created in parallel with deliveries. It’s a problem that we sell products somewhere without creating service centres. A tractor is out of order tomorrow. What should they do?”
“We have worked this out using the example of Venezuela. We will create an assembly plant there and develop localisation, but people need to be taught. Please come to the Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ) conveyor and turn the nuts, see what parts this tractor consists of. The same applies to other enterprises. We are ready to teach their specialists here for their money; they are happy to do it,” the President underlined.
“In short, training and service centres, then localisation, creation of our own production facilities is a unique opportunity to come to distant regions seriously and for a long time. Moreover, they have something to offer Belarusians,” Aleksandr Lukashenko summed up.
