Putin: Belarus remains Russia’s large, reliable economic partner

ST. PETERSBURG/MINSK, Jul 13 (PRIME) -- Belarus remains Russia’s large and reliable partner in the economic sphere, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday.

“At the beginning of our meeting, I would like to note that the Republic of Belarus, I do not mention our plans to build a Union State, generally remains a big and reliable partner in the economic sphere for us,” he said.

Putin added that the states’ trade turnover “fell slightly”, by around 17%, due to the pandemic in 2020, but jumped by more than 37% in the first four or five months of 2021.

Lukashenko said that Belarus will fulfill its debt obligations to Russia “at all costs.”

“Yes, we have always had hard times in financial terms, you understand why. Here we have been seriously supported by Russia, but we are making all efforts to fulfill our debt obligations scrupulously, and will fulfill them at all costs,” he said.

Lukashenko also said that Belarus will weather Western sanctions and the overall global economic situation.

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