A. Lukashenko emphasizes the need to find alternative routes for energy supply to Belarus
28/06/20100 views
28 June, Minsk /Vladimir Matveev - BELTA/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, speaking at a meeting on the most pressing issues of diversifying Belarus's foreign economic activities, as well as cooperation with Venezuela, Russia and Ukraine, stated the need to find alternative routes for energy supply to the country, BELTA correspondent reports.
Opening the meeting, the head of state drew the attention of those present to how the situation around Belarus has been developing in recent months and years, primarily in the economic and trade-economic spheres. "And there are quite a few issues in the political sphere as well," he noted.
"You see what position our eastern neighbour is taking, and also the western neighbour in the face of the EU," said Alexander Lukashenko. According to him, it is natural and objective that the people of Belarus, which is a relatively young state on the world map, "will have to prove with their intellect, mind, and God forbid, strength, the necessity and possibility of living on this land as a nation, as a people."
Alexander Lukashenko expressed his conviction that Russia will remain a good neighbour and friend to Belarus. "All this will pass (conflicts in relations. - BELTA note). But we must proceed from the classic norms of existence of any state - alternative and diversification of relations. We cannot depend on one state, one supply centre, be it energy resources, raw materials, or components. We must fly, as they say in Belarus, "on two wings"," the Belarusian leader emphasised.
The head of state noted, addressing the meeting participants, that one cannot live in a dream world, but must firmly defend the interests of the republic.
"Knowing this, a few years ago we tried to find an alternative to hydrocarbon raw materials from the Russian Federation and reached out to Latin markets (Latin America. - BELTA's note), to Africa, to Iran – places where hydrocarbon raw materials are abundant. We started extracting oil in Venezuela and Iran. Moreover, we have reached a point where today we are already supplying oil from Venezuela and processing it quite successfully at our enterprises," the President said. "Today, the issue is about reliable oil supplies to Belarus from global markets and via various routes. We must in no way repeat the mistake that happened with Russia. And supplying oil from other markets via a single route is as dangerous as the current dependence on a single state for hydrocarbon raw material supplies. Therefore, several avenues are being explored for both oil and gas."
Alexander Lukashenko noted that during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Lithuania, which took place today, he (the Lithuanian Prime Minister. - BELTA's note) once again confirmed that "Gazprom" sells gas at a much higher price than the current price in Europe. "Of course, no one in Europe will buy such gas, and it will be very difficult for "Gazprom" to maintain the price, but these are their problems, their product. We, by and large, can argue, agree or disagree, but we must always have an alternative," the Belarusian leader emphasized.
Addressing the participants of the meeting, Alexander Lukashenko noted that he would like to hear a clear report on how the reached agreements are being implemented, without the traditional excuses and references to "objective" circumstances. "Has everything possible and impossible been done to move away from energy mono-dependence?" the head of state asked. -0-
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