Lukashenko: we must reasonably protect our market
A reasonable approach should be ensured in the country to protect the internal market and the Union State market – as stated by President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko during today’s meeting on the development of the Belarusian industry
The Head of State criticised the Government and, first of all, the relevant Deputy PM for the improper work in the domestic market, “We must protect our own market wisely… It is our destiny that we produce everything that is manufactured in large quantities in the world. Therefore, it will not be possible to simply protect our market, closing the border and not let anyone in. We must act wisely. To do this, we have our Government to help industrial enterprises work.”
The Belarusian leader also stated the need to defend the country’s interests within the framework of the agreements that we have primarily with Russia.
Meanwhile, the President noted that we sometimes lose the Russian market for traditional Belarusian goods, such as tractors and refrigerators. Aleksandr Lukashenko asked Deputy PM Piotr Parkhomchik about the situation at the refrigerator factory. The latter assured that there is a positive trend.
“You have to deal with it. Despite the production of a wide range of domestic equipment, we are now largely importing where we do not need and should not buy. Why is this happening? Are we inferior in price and quality, or are we falling short somewhere, failing to build a marketing policy? Probably both,” the Head of State noted.
The President posed a range of questions to the participants of the meeting: what specific measures have been taken to protect the domestic market and what has been done.
“And most importantly, when will the result be? That’s the main thing. You don’t have to defend yourself. But you should generate the result. And the result is when enterprises work profitably and earn money,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
The Head of State also asked to report to him the latest information on the current stage of the implementation of import-substituting investment projects financed with the participation of funds from Russia’s state financial loan.
“You asked for it. Putin promised me these loans, and Russia gives them out. We’ve agreed that these will be used to finance the projects that will be of interest both to Belarus and Russia. They probably set the condition correctly, agreeing to allocate money only for joint projects. It’s normal. How is the situation here?” the President wondered.
The Belarusian leader asked what stage the projects are at now and how his instruction on the organisation of service centres for Belarusian equipment in all Russian regions where it is supplied is being fulfilled. Another topic of the meeting is ensuring the quality of products manufactured by the domestic industry.
