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Lukashenka: Belarus is looking for new markets in “far external economic arc”

 

Belarus is looking for new markets for its products in the “far external economic arc,” Alyaksandr Lukashenka told reporters on Friday while inspecting AAT Sukno, a Minsk-based government-controlled company that manufactures wool or wool mixture fabrics.

Mr. Lukashenka stressed that searching for new markets was the main purpose of his recent visits to Indonesia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. "The seller himself currently has to go to the buyer," he added.

"Nobody will come to our plant and ask to sell something," the government's news agency BelTA quoted Mr. Lukashenka as saying. "The seller, the owner of a product, has to run to the furthest corners of the planet to offer his product under the conditions of tough competition."

"The main purpose of our visits is that we try to make new windows in that ‘far external economic arc,’ through which we will work with the countries of that region," Mr. Lukashenka noted.

He cited the example of Vietnam through which he said Belarus accesses the markets of Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and other neighboring states.

Belarus also cooperates with China and tries to consolidate its grip on the Indian market, Mr. Lukashenka said. As for Indonesia and Australia, Belarus is just beginning to work with those countries, he noted, adding that they were willing to buy Belarusian products.

"You may ask why the president goes there." he said. "He does so because when the president comes to a foreign country, he is accompanied by members of the government and a trail of heads of companies. There is access to any official or minister. The president takes their hands and leads them into the offices which they would enter in a year or two if they were on their own."

According to Mr. Lukashenka, "specific contacts" were established as a result of his visits and there are currently certain projects in the pipeline.

Mr. Lukashenka described Singapore as an extremely rich country in financial terms. "We hope that investors in Singapore – and they have a lot of money – will take an interest in Belarus, but we have to advertise ourselves," he added.

According to him, an agreement was reached with the United Arab Emirates for Belarus to propose five or six investment projects. The projects are currently developed, he noted. // BelaPAN