18 July, Minsk /BELTA/. In the new geopolitical realities, Belarus must be strong – both politically and, especially, economically. This was stated by the President of the country, Alexander Lukashenko, on 17 July at a meeting with heads of diplomatic missions and consular offices of Belarus, as reported to BELTA by the press service of the Belarusian leader.
18 July, Minsk /BELTA/. In the new geopolitical realities, Belarus must be strong – both politically and, especially, economically. This was stated by the President of the country, Alexander Lukashenko, on 17 July at a meeting with heads of diplomatic missions and consular offices of Belarus, as reported to BELTA by the press service of the Belarusian leader.
"The global situation is rapidly changing before our eyes. We are facing entirely new geopolitical realities. Instability is not only somewhere far away – in North Africa or the Middle East, but right next door, in our immediate vicinity. And we see that it can flare up, explode anywhere," said the head of state.
"There is a devaluation of norms and principles of international behaviour, the destruction of a system of international law built over decades. One thing is clear: the weak are beaten, the strong are respected. Therefore, we must be strong – both politically and, especially, economically," the President stressed.
Alexander Lukashenko noted that Belarus is working to achieve these goals both domestically and externally. The President's tasks of increasing exports, modernising the economy, and improving living standards are aimed at this. "This explains the choice in favour of strengthening the Union State, creating the Eurasian Economic Union, and building strategic relations with the People's Republic of China," said the head of state. "Hence our position towards the West, which consists of readiness to develop relations across the entire spectrum of promising areas. But only on the principles of mutual respect, without any sanctions or dictates."
The President drew attention to the fact that over the past two decades, the country has increased its foreign trade. If in 1995 the volume of foreign trade was just over $10 billion, then by the end of 2013 it exceeded $80 billion. Exports over the same period increased almost 8 times – by more than $32 billion. Alexander Lukashenko stressed that this is not enough today, as the country's foreign trade balance is usually negative.
"We proceed from the premise that the development of international cooperation, the formulation of foreign policy strategy and tactics must be strictly viewed through the prism of our internal priorities. The goal is the continuous improvement of the population's living standards, the strengthening of international positions and the sovereignty of the state," the President stated.
Alexander Lukashenko emphasised that Belarus needs to use modern global trends as pragmatically as possible. "The events in Ukraine, which have put the world on the brink of a new cold war, have clearly demonstrated that the current international security system, unfortunately, does not work. At the same time, the resolution of the acute phase of the global financial and economic crisis has classically coincided with a redistribution of spheres of influence," the Head of State noted.
"This new situation has provoked a sharp increase in interest in our region from the major leading world powers. And we need to carefully analyse this situation, use it as pragmatically as possible to advance our national interests, and protect the integrity and independence of the country," Alexander Lukashenko believes.
According to the Head of State, the realities of today are such that the striving of leading world players to employ forceful methods, pressure, and economic and resource advantages create additional sources of tension. "Double standards, the imposition of one's own development model, and at times, undisguised cynicism are widely used to advance their interests," the President noted. "All this increases the degree of uncertainty, creates a complex balance of pros and cons for states like Belarus, forcing them to find non-standard solutions to fit into the existing geopolitical reality."
"On the eve of 2015, pressure on our country will predictably increase. The presidential election campaign is an exceptionally important political event for any state," said Alexander Lukashenko. "The responsibility of the moment lies primarily in choosing the future course, in determining the key directions for the country's development in the long term. Therefore, the actions and reactions of the West will be largely predictable."
"I have repeatedly stated that we conduct election campaigns not for Washington and Brussels, nor for the Kremlin, but for ourselves, in strict accordance with national legislation," the Belarusian leader emphasized. "And there is no need to debase yourselves here and try to appease someone with something, so that they smile at us or 'pat us on the head'."
The President warned that it is necessary to be prepared for confrontation with global players on issues of Belarus's policy. "So-called soft power will be used to the maximum along the entire perimeter of our borders. No one will attack us with tanks yet, but the pressure will increase exponentially," he said.
"To the traditional criticism regarding alleged human rights violations, claims of the state's disloyalty to various minorities are added, and overt pressure on the moral foundations of society is growing. Traditional values, including family values, are being turned upside down. Our choice in favor of Eurasian integration does not suit everyone either," stated Alexander Lukashenko.
The President demanded that diplomats seek promising partners in various regions of the world to develop cooperation, similar to how Belarus has built its interaction with Venezuela in Latin America. In the context of Belarus's open, export-oriented economy, its foreign economic component is of key importance.
According to the head of state, modern Belarusian foreign policy should be a direct embodiment of the formula "diplomacy is the art of the possible." "But not in the sense of 'resting on our laurels' or 'sleeping on the job,' justifying ourselves by unfavorable external conditions. It is necessary to set maximum goals, and in all directions. And only then can we count on some acceptable result," Alexander Lukashenko is confident.
As an example, the President cited several major projects. One of them is the construction of the Belarusian NPP. "This is a large-scale project that not everyone likes. They are trying to put pressure on us both through bilateral relations and international organizations. They say, 'not finally agreed,' 'you are building an unsafe NPP.' Enough! It is agreed! It is safe!" the Belarusian leader stressed.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, and other interested parties must organize their work in such a way that these far-fetched claims are removed," the President instructed.
The Head of State also stated the need for personnel modernization alongside the upgrade of enterprises' production facilities: "The issue of a shortage of qualified specialists in the foreign economic and marketing departments of state-owned enterprises has become a worn-out topic." "It is probably necessary to approve a list of positions, primarily for the foreign relations departments of enterprises with state participation, which can only be held by a person capable of conversing with potential foreign clients without a dictionary," the President stated.
A separate instruction from the Head of State concerned the study of the effectiveness of the dealer network of Belarusian enterprises abroad. "I am tasking the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with thoroughly reviewing our dealer centers, representatives, and the entire dealer network, especially in Russia and other major countries, in the near future, and assessing their performance," said Alexander Lukashenko.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in this regard, must and can suggest where to find potential partners and help organize negotiations. However, the strategy and geography of sales are ultimately determined by the manufacturer, who also concludes contracts. Everyone must do their job conscientiously in their assigned area," emphasized the Belarusian leader.
Alexander Lukashenko placed particular emphasis on the need for practical returns from the activities of Belarusian diplomatic missions. "Currently, we have embassies in 56 countries. The plans include several more foreign institutions that we have not managed to open for one reason or another. However, fundamentally, let us proceed from the premise that opportunities are not limitless, and that the process of our expansion is essentially nearing completion," the President stated.
Alongside this, Alexander Lukashenko stressed that within these parameters, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be flexible and mobile, primarily in reallocating existing personnel and financial resources. "This is demanded by the rapidly changing international situation. And you, as diplomats, must be the first to calculate new development vectors. If it becomes clear that, for some reasons, be it military actions, political circumstances, or something else, bilateral economic relations with a certain country are faltering, or are deteriorating, or have ceased to exist altogether, promptly submit proposals for adjusting the network of foreign institutions," instructed the Belarusian leader.
The Head of State recalled that billions of financial resources are currently being directed towards modernization in the country. "And not only our own, but also borrowed funds. The accountability for this will be double. We need to clearly understand what will happen when we launch all this advanced equipment, and whether there are markets for new products," the President noted. Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that not only manufacturers of goods, but also diplomats should take an active part in promoting Belarusian products in foreign markets.
Touching upon the topic of attracting foreign direct investment, Alexander Lukashenko demanded that the Ministry of Economy focus on improving the efficiency of the National Agency of Investment and Privatization, turning it into an effective "one-stop shop" for foreign investors. The President noted that there are successful examples of investment cooperation in the country, citing the activities of the Swiss company "Stadler Rail" as an example. "This is what we should strive for. When we have 15-20 such 'Stadlers', we can say that we have worked effectively in attracting investments," the Head of State noted.
Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that Belarus should derive maximum benefit from accelerating integration processes in the post-Soviet space. "We will have to live in the Eurasian Economic Union for the coming decades. Therefore, we must strive for a qualitative leap in the markets of Russia and Kazakhstan," the President noted. Alexander Lukashenko believes that at the same time, the existing levers within the EAEU should be fully utilized to protect Belarusian national interests.
"The Treaty on the Establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union that we signed is not exactly what we expected, but it is still a step forward. Perhaps not the one we were waiting for, but it is movement forward. As of today, it is not a loss, it is not movement in the wrong direction, it is precisely movement in the right direction, where we are expected and from which we cannot refuse under any circumstances," said the Head of the Belarusian state.
Speaking about foreign policy cooperation, the President emphasised that Belarus will continue to strengthen its strategic partnership with Russia and intends to actively work in the Ukrainian market. The Head of State expects a significant breakthrough in promoting Belarusian economic interests in the Middle Eastern markets, active development of new markets in Africa, and the use of new mechanisms for entering local markets in Latin America. The Belarusian side is interested in resuming large-scale cooperation with Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and Libya as the situation there is resolved. Regarding relations with the People's Republic of China, the President believes that the focus should shift from credit-based to investment-based interaction. In cooperation with European countries, Alexander Lukashenko considers it necessary to consolidate the progress made in the last two years.
Overall, the President is guiding Belarusian producers to move away from stereotypical approaches when developing foreign markets.
"The government, state administration bodies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and foreign institutions have one task – to restore positions in traditional markets as soon as possible, increase supplies of our products to new promising trading platforms, and ensure the fulfilment of established foreign trade indicators by the end of the year. This is a requirement of the times. Therefore, accountability will be personal," stressed Alexander Lukashenko.
The President drew attention to the fact that a sufficiently strong corps of ambassadors has been formed today and emphasised that he expects results from their work. "The scale of responsibility and the specifics of the tasks handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs impose special, increased demands on diplomatic personnel. There should be no place for personnel ballast, negligence, and, God forbid, corruption in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," said the Head of State.-0-
News of Belarus (BELTA)