Lukashenko: misunderstandings with Russia in passenger car production should be diffused

During his meeting with the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Denis Manturov, today, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko proposed to overcome the misunderstandings that emerge in relations with Russia with regard to the passenger car production

photo: www.president.gov.by

The Head of State noted that Belarus and Russia have enough joint projects now – even more than agreed in terms of the financing by the Russian side. “Perhaps we will agree that Russia will be interested in our new projects, and funding will grow,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

The President reminded that Belarus had once launched car production domestically – ‘which is also a very important issue’, “You, in Russia, know more than anyone else about this business. I would like us to be able to overcome any sort of misunderstandings that emerge in connection with the passenger car import substitution and to produce Belarusian and Russian cars in our joint market. It is no secret that we must protect our market so as not to fall out of the fire and into the flames, as I often say. Our colleagues understand this perfectly well. The ways of co-operation with such states have been outlined. It should not work in the way it happened with Westerners, when they decided to leave everything, stop working and simply go away. That’s not a problem if they leave: companies go away, but competencies and people are still here. We have enough raw materials and resources. We will produce and replace their goods with ours.”