Lukashenka blames Russian firms, officials for patronising banned imports


The issue of counteracting the import of embargoed products to Russia was raised by president Alyaksandr Lukashenka during the meeting with Chairman of the State Customs Committee Yury Syanko on Tuesday.

According to him, it is the Russians who control this process.

“It is a source of major concern for us. We do a tremendous job for Russia. According to the customs service and other agencies, quarrels are constantly flaring up in this field – and some [Russians] sponsor planted articles [in mass media]. They started to reproach us,” he said.

“Has the problem been resolved? If not, we should speak up about it. Because, according to the security agencies, all the negative processes relating to the banned imports and other matters are handled by Russian companies, sometimes major ones, with big entrepreneurs in positions of power behind them. We should speak about it, too. No need to be shy. Don’t tell the Russian customs service. Tell the government and the president of the Russian Federation so that they could straighten things out. I say it to Putin often. But facts should be presented,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes him as saying.

In turn, Yury Syanko said that two trucks had been detained in Mahiliou region. They were carrying sanctioned products to Russia. They were under control of a Russian citizen who was on the international wanted list, he added.

“They forge documents, carry products, and thenhave claims against us,” Lukashenka stressed.

Since Russia’s imposed embargo on EU-made food products, Moscow has repeatedly cleimed that Belarus has been re-exporting sanctioned products. But Minsk keeps denying all the allegations.

ІІ, belsat.eu

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