The Kremlin is throwing Belarus into the West’s arms when it bars our country’s products from entering the Russian market, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said on Tuesday.
“At the present day, the cooperation with the West triggers sort of allergical and sometimes hysterical reaction of our main partner – the Russian Federation. The question is why they fall into hysterics? You do not let our products enter the market, you call us spongers, push us out, exert pressure on us wherever possible. Do you expect that we will drop below the ground level and just stay there?” Alyaksandr Lukashenka said.
If some doors are closed on Belarus, it has to look for new ones so that our state could normally exist, he stressed. The Belarusian leader also urged Russian partners not to blame Belarus for allegedly turning its back on them.
“We do not need to turn. But we should switch our head round as we are in the midst of events – in the centre of Europe,” Lukashenka said.
Belarus will strike a balance when the EU market becomes a real alternative to the Russian one ‘not only on paper but in practice’, the president believes.
In his opinion, there is a lack of progress in the Eurasian integration processes.
“Many economic issues were transferred to the EAEC agenda from that of the Union State. Unfortunately, the Eurasian integration is reversing, if not already reversed. I am reported about the barriers, obstacles put and restrictions imposed on our business entities,” Lukashenka added.
