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Lukashenka urges diplomats to look for strategic partners worldwide

Diplomats should look for strategic partners in all regions of the world to enable Belarus to establish close economic ties similar to those it has with Venezuela, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said Thursday in Minsk, speaking to the heads of Belarusian diplomatic missions.

“Few believed that the large-scale country project called ‘Venezuela’ would succeed, but we proved that we could fulfill extremely complicated technical tasks in the other hemisphere,” the Belarusian leader said. “We went all out to gain this experience and we should use it in other regions. We should to look for and find more ‘Venezuelas’ for us in Asia, Africa and the same Latin America.”

“The stability of our country depends on our efforts in foreign markets and the success of our external economic activities depends on a concerted effort from each entity of the real economic sector,” Mr. Lukashenka said.

According to him, Belarusian exporters have to compete with leading foreign companies and transnational corporations, which he said “means that we should look for niches where Belarusian products would sell well.” “Our machinery and other goods sell well and at high prices in countries where we find such niches, including with the help of embassies,” he said. “There have been instances of Belarusian brands being counterfeited.”

Belarus’ foreign-policy efforts should be based on the principle of “diplomacy is the art of the possible,” Mr. Lukashenka noted. “However, this does not mean that we can rest on our oars and do nothing under the excuse of an unfavorable external environment. We should set ourselves the most ambitious goals in all areas. Only in this case can we expect to achieve some acceptable result.”