Belarus-Russia trade to reach record highs in 2023

The minister emphasized that Belarus and Russia have continued to strengthen the relations of alliance and strategic partnership in the face of unprecedented external pressure, ensuring the increasing pace of bilateral interaction. This, he said, is evidenced by regular contacts at the high and highest levels, intensive inter-parliamentary, inter-sectoral and inter-regional cooperation. “We have reached agreements on a number of the most pressing issues in our relations,” Sergei Aleinik said.

Touching upon the economic aspect of interaction between the two countries, he stressed that significant joint measures have been taken to improve the sustainability of the economies of the two countries. “If the current trade turnover in place, we expect to reach a new record high this year,” the minister said.

In his words, thanks to genuine allied relations and real mutual assistance, including in the context of neutralizing pressure from unfriendly countries, Belarus and Russia have significantly intensified interaction within the framework of not only the Union State but also other integration structures, such as the EAEU, CIS, and CSTO. A large amount of work has been done to prepare and coordinate the main areas in the implementation of the provisions of the Union State Treaty for 2024-2026. “Their adoption and subsequent implementation will yield tangible results in improving the living standards of our citizens, strengthening the economic potential of Belarus and Russia, our combined economic potential,” the minister said.

One of the important issues on the agenda of the meeting is the adoption of a joint program of concerted actions in the foreign policy. For the first time it is expected to be approved for three years - from 2024 to 2026 inclusively. “The forthcoming signing of the program of concerted actions for a new three-year period will help us correlate this document with other fundamental documents within the Union State,” the minister said.

“As part of the implementation of the previous program we strengthened the coordination of positions on international platforms. This is especially important in the conditions of unhealthy global turbulence and continuous pressure from Western opponents,” Sergei Aleinik said. “We effectively used the mechanisms of negotiations and ministerial consultations both on previous issues and emerging ones, which require a prompt response and harmonization of our approaches.” According to him, the relevance and productivity of the established algorithms of joint work is undoubted.

The minister also thanked the Russian side for consular assistance in the countries where there are no Belarusian foreign missions. He expressed special gratitude for the assistance in evacuating Belarusian citizens from conflict zones.