17 May 2004 16:02
Belarusian president upbeat on trade with Russia
[Presenter] Belarus has never impeded the work of Russian capital, banks, enterprises and companies, Belarusian
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said today. He was speaking at a meeting with the head of the administration of
Russia's Volgograd Region, Nikolay Maksyuta.
According to the president, the Belarusian side has always stressed during talks with Russian partners that the
history of privatization in Russia will not be repeated in our country. One should conduct privatization for money, at
market prices rather than at balance-sheet value. They always want to turn us off this path and violate these criteria.
I want it [privatization] to be principled and honest so that our country is not ruined, Alyaksandr Lukashenka
stressed.
[Lukashenka] It is not the present day, when we are arguing in public sometimes, that poses a threat to the
[Russian-Belarusian] union but those days when it was being ruined on the quiet. And then [Russian] governors
established direct contacts for cooperation with Belarus and we have managed to preserve the basis of any union - trade,
economic cooperation and economy. Our trade with Russia will probably be worth 15bn dollars this year. We have done
everything necessary for this. Last year, it was almost 13bn [dollars], and this year there is everything necessary for
it to reach 15bn dollars [in trade with Russia]. This is the basis. Company employees and companies will not allow us to
break off our relations.
[Passage omitted: Maksyuta also discussed economic cooperation with Prime Minister Syarhey Sidorski]
[Audio and video available. Please send queries to kiev.bbcm@mon.bbc.co.uk]
[Belarusian television] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
