MINSK - Amidst the global financial crisis and sanctions against Russia, Belarusian experience of overcoming economic slowdown is unique, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a Belarusian Trade Unions Federation congress in Minsk on May 22.
“Massive job cuts took place in the U.S. and in Western Europe. Hundreds of thousands of people instantly lost their jobs but we withstood back then and we will manage now,” Lukashenko said. “The Belarusian experience of overcoming the economic slowdown was effectively unique,” he said, according to a state media outlet.
Belarus is a country with an open economy, and external factors have a strong influence on it, Lukashenko also said. “At present we are experiencing certain difficulties, primarily because of the crisis that broke out in countries that are our main trade partners,” he said.
The economic problems of Belarus’ trade partners affected the performance of Belarusian manufacturers, the president said. Still, “we do have the experience of working under such conditions,” he said.
Currently, the first priority for the Belarusian economy is to ensure that Belarusian products stay competitive on foreign markets, the president said.
