Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko finds it necessary, even under sanctions, not to discount the EU market and work with relevant countries to promote domestic goods. The exclusion of Belarus from regional logistics chains will have to wait This opinion was expressed by Olga Lazorkina, analyst at the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR), BelTA reports.
"The Republic of Belarus is a full member of the world community. To date, the UN, the only body empowered to apply sanctions, doesn’t even take the initiative to consider this issue. Therefore, we do not consider the unilateral restrictive measures taken by the EU and the United States against Belarus and Russia to be legitimate, and strongly reject them. They have been introduced in breach of many international rules which were approved also by our today's opponents", Olga Lazorkina noted.
The expert drew attention to the fact that Belarus has never faced a choice between the West and the East. The European continent has been and remains, a civilizational anchor and a center of cultural attraction for Belarus.
"Belarus has not only a desire to maintain its position in regional trade, but also property in the EU. The imposition of sanctions does not mean at all that we are turning the page on the issue and looking for happiness beyond other seas. We are pursuing consistent work through all available channels in order to convey to the international community not only our stance on the predatory actions of individual States, but also to bring this issue to a broader discussion. It is especially important to understand the terminology used by our opponents: by calling country restrictive measures sanctions, they thereby seek to safeguard their legitimacy. We cannot allow them to do this. No one has deprived Belarus its vote yet," the BISR analyst believes.
The official position of Vilnius and Warsaw is increasingly revealing the gap between the country's leadership and citizens. Poles and Lithuanians have never disliked Belarusians. "We never gave them a reason. As for the business community of our neighboring countries, we have interesting business proposals for them, not bans and bankruptcies", Olga Lazorkina said.
Belarus' expectations and opportunities to maintain its position in regional trade chains in Europe are based solely on pragmatic considerations, the expert notes. The President of Belarus clearly outlined them in his speech: the high demand for potash fertilizers and refined petroleum products on the European market. In addition, logistical advantages allow our products to be competitive.
"A return to strategic thinking in the EU is inevitable (it's a matter of time), since the situation is developing in such a way that the EU will have to find resources in order not to plunge into chaos, already this winter. Belarus is always ready to lend a helping hand", the BISR analyst summarized.