MINSK, 28 October (BelTA) – The issue of transit through the European Union is no longer something critical for Belarus, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov said at a session on migration at the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security on 28 October, BelTA has learned.
“For us, the issue of transit through the EU is no longer something very critical for our survival. Over the years of sanctions, we have learned to live under constant restrictions. Every new sanction is a new opportunity,” the minister emphasized.
He noted that over the past five years, even with sanctions in place, the production of goods in Belarus has increased, and they are being sold abroad. There has been growth in exports for both goods and services.
Maxim Ryzhenkov recalled that at one time, a task was set to diversify Belarusian exports so that they would be split equally between Russia and the CIS countries, the European Union, and distant countries.
However, the sanctions policy and the refusal to cooperate by the European Union itself have led to a situation where, by the end of this year, Belarus' trade in goods and services with China, for example, will be approximately twice as high as with the neighboring European Union.
At the same time, the country's GDP, wage levels, and the living standards of people are growing, Maxim Ryzhenkov said.
However, the sanctions policy and the refusal to cooperate by the European Union itself have led to a situation where, by the end of this year, Belarus' trade in goods and services with China, for example, will be approximately twice as high as with the neighboring European Union.
At the same time, the country's GDP, wage levels, and the living standards of people are growing, Maxim Ryzhenkov said.
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