MOSCOW, 14 March (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has quoted concrete figures to explain how individuals benefit from the union of Belarus and Russia. The president made the relevant statements as he delivered a speech in the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation during an official visit to the Russian Federation, BelTA has learned.
The Belarusian leader described economic cooperation as the foundation and quoted certain indicators of the last 25 years. In this period the GDP grew by more than 6 times in nominal terms in Belarus and by 10 times in Russia. The GDP per capita rose by nearly 7 times in Belarus and by 11 times in Russia. Trade turnover rose by 7 times to come close to $60 billion last year. Despite the complicated external situation record-high figures were secured in the last three years – from 2022 through 2024.
“The most important thing is that the real income of citizens has increased substantially. Their quality of life has improved. It means that the union benefits first and foremost our people,” the Belarusian leader stressed.
At the same time Aleksandr Lukashenko made it clear that there are still quite many problems that need to be addressed and the parties are determined to do it.
The head of state pointed out that Russian mass media usually rather modestly mention or totally do not talk about the fact that thanks to manufacturing cooperation ties with Belarus more than 3 million Russians have a permanent source of income. Tens of thousands of enterprises, a broad choice of products and services are affected.
Despite the different scales of the two economies, the parties harmonize and synchronize many tried and tested approaches to supporting the enterprises, protecting the market and investments. “The task has not changed since 25 years ago: to ensure the pursuance of a single industrial, technological, and R&D policy,” the head of state stated.
He stated that judging by the latest decisions Russia needs Belarusian experience in the field of planning and in the field of public private partnership. “But even more should be done from my point of view. We need to learn how to get mobilized. While Belarus can get mobilized within one week, Russia may need several weeks. But we should learn how it’s done. It is particularly relevant now,” the Belarusian leader stressed.
He remarked that there are any contradictions with regard to proponents of liberal or market-based approaches, particularly if they contribute to this mobilization.
In turn, from Russia Belarus borrows approaches to creating digital technologies, government services and digital platforms based on them. “We have also done quite a lot in this regard. Russia was still thinking about IT back in the day while we had already created the Hi-Tech Park,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. But it was an error to allow the Hi-Tech Park to operate without creating end products to satisfy needs of Belarus or Russia. It operated according to orders from high-tech Western companies.
Speaking about the development of information technologies and artificial intelligence, which everyone talks about now, Aleksandr Lukashenko expressed an opinion by saying that certainly, the matter should be explored but it is not a good idea to get too far ahead of ourselves. “Getting ahead so far that the society will not understand and will not accept these steps,” he explained. “Yes, it is necessary to stay half a step, a step ahead. Our common history teaches us that,” the president remarked.
Cooperation in the field of microelectronics and the production of components contributes a lot to the work of such Russian giants as Roscosmos, Rosatom, Rostec, and Almaz-Antey.
“We have managed to preserve and (in a number of positions) restore the interindustry cooperation and manufacturing cooperation that were established in the Soviet era,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
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