MINSK, 20 April (BelTA) – The need to stop being dependent on monopolies, primarily from Russia, forces Belarus to seek and secure its foothold on new markets. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko made the relevant statement in his address to the Belarusian nation and the parliament on 20 April, BelTA has learned. “It is our vital need to avoid dependence and dictate, primarily that of Russian monopolies. To avoid being kicked about and blamed that we live at someone else’s expense,” said the head of state. “We are forced to seek other markets and we have found them, not only in Venezuela,” he added. As an example Alexander Lukashenko recalled the sugar dispute: “Who was behind it? The tycoons that deal with this sweet matter in Russia. They came to Putin and said that [Belarus] sets dumping prices, subsidizes, supplies cheap sugar to the Russian market, destroying our economy. I was trying to prove my point to the president and the prime minister of Russia: you make about 50% of the sugar you need in Russia. For instance you import 1 million tonnes and we supply 150,000 tonnes. Why do you reject Belarusian sugar? You still buy the rest! You say that we set dumping prices. Good. Let’s say that the income we gain with these low prices is sufficient for us. Name the body we should sell this cheap sugar to. Take it away and sell to the Russian people at a tripled price in order to keep the prices high. They couldn’t do it”. The President also reminded that due to the blocked supplies of Belarusian sugar the sugar price in Russia went up several times. “What kind of politics is that? Why did anyone have to make sugar in Russia that expensive? People have to buy it! So this is the kind of politics I am talking about. We were ousted, they got what they deserved,” said the Belarusian head of state. “Then we are building the Customs Union. Customs duties have been imposed on oil, making it almost twice as expensive. Why do you do it? Is it your politics? Well, we have to comply because it is their commodity,” said the President. Alexander Lukashenko remarked that in this situation Belarus had to seek oil in other countries and today it successfully and profitably extracts oil in Venezuela and has started extracting oil in Iran. “You are our closest allies. You and we built the oil pipelines together and explored gas deposits together. Why do you push us away? Why do you force us to seek our happiness, this hydrocarbon raw stock at the back of beyond? If it is transported from Venezuela, a tanker has been on its way for two weeks now. But Russia is nearby! Let’s us extract oil and natural gas. On your terms,” said the President. He said that Russia has not made the decision yet. The President stressed that one should not search for some undercurrents in Belarus’ active actions aimed at pursuing a real multiple-vector policy. “Such is the time. If we don’t learn how to respond fast and adequately to challenges of the present, we will suffer as poor cousins in someone else’s backyard,” he said. “The Belarusian nation is a nation of working people. Maybe not in Russia but overseas, we will honestly earn our living. I am sure that Russian people understand and support us. Because we will never do anything that may harm the brotherly nation. It is impossible to destroy by any cliches that Russian mass media and sometimes politicians try to put on us,” concluded Alexander Lukashenko.

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