DUSHANBE, 10 October (BelTA) – The Commonwealth leaders need to reinforce their economic foundations, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the CIS Heads of State Council summit in Tajikistan on 10 October.
“In today’s world, economics and competition are the driving forces behind most, if not all, conflicts. To win this struggle and secure sustainable development and a prosperous future for all of our countries, we have no choice but to reinforce our economic foundations and deepen our cooperation in trade, investment, and manufacturing,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.“We must not squander the legacy built by previous generations of our people. Let us see each other as partners and pursue deeper cooperation with no topics off the table,” the Belarusian leader said.
The head of state noted that despite “frantic sanctions pressure from the West” and attempts to drive a wedge between CIS countries through threats of secondary sanctions, the Commonwealth has maintained economic growth this year, recording a rate of 2.2% for January-July.
That said, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized the need to build up economic resilience, reiterating his thesis that the economy is of paramount importance. “Invariably, our discussions circle back to the same thing: our joint economic activity on the common market of the [former] Soviet Union. This is not about returning to the system that existed in the Soviet Union. The common market was enormous. Maybe we should just drop all these convoluted discussions and finally get down to economic matters, considering what every one of us actually needs?” the president asked.
Aleksandr Lukashenko expressed confidence that, with a common strategy, it would be possible to restore this economic space taking into consideration the interests of all the countries and to improve coordination in international trade and economic cooperation. He stressed, however, that the ambitions of each CIS state should not be undermined under any circumstances. “But this must begin now,” the Belarusian leader stated.
Furthermore, the president welcomed the meeting’s adoption of a declaration on cooperation in ensuring regional energy security. He also recalled that an action plan for implementing the CIS Economic Development Strategy until 2030 was approved in Minsk on 29 September.
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