Belarus president: We started to steer out of crisis, but Russia spoilt it all


Aliaksandr Lukashenka says the Belarusians should calm down and seek economic fortune on other markets.

“The new government has been working hard to achieve results. However, we will not be able to do anything without your on-site work. Everything that benefits the state and its people is created there where you start working tomorrow,” Lukashenka told newly-appointed officials on Tuesday.

According to the president, Russia is to blame for the collapse of the Belarusian model.

“We had already found the way we should have followed until the external circumstances changed in late 2014. The collapse of the Russian market and the Russian currency (Russia accounts for a half of our exports) has seriously affected our economy.”

The head of state urged people to get ready for a protracted economic crisis.

“We have not thrown our state into the whirlpool of this crisis as many suggested it. We have chosen another way out, suppressing the oncoming crisis and protecting people. That means we entered the crisis very softly. Now, taking into account the fact that this period has protracted, we will need more time to come out of the crisis,” state-owned news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenka as saying.

www.belsat.eu/en, via BelTA

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