Lukashenko: $1bn in trade with Leningrad Region is only a conditional guideline
Today, the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has met with Governor of Russia’s Leningrad Region Aleksandr Drozdenko. Welcoming the guest, the Head of State noted that the current meeting on Belarusian land is the fifth in a row. However, Aleksandr Lukashenko and Alexander Drozdenko see each other much more often, taking into account the Belarusian leader’s visits to St. Petersburg.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted, “I’m really glad to welcome you on Belarusian land. Frankly speaking, from the moment of our last meeting in St. Petersburg, on your land, I have been looking forward for this meeting. There’s a lot to talk about. To be completely honest, we would like to rely primarily on your region in our co-operation with Russia. We have exemplary relations with the Leningrad Region, and, of course, we must have greater efficiency from these relations. We are aware of the areas to work in to get serious results.”
According to the Belarusian Head of State, the frequent stay of the Governor of the Leningrad Region in Belarus indicates that he does not consider the Belarusian land foreign, “I’m very grateful to you for this. You know my sincere attitude towards the city on the Neva River and your region. This is a region and people close to us in spirit, the closest due to our history and everything that happened during WWII and the Great Patriotic War. We suffered a lot with the Leningraders. We have the same understanding of future development paths and the same planning of results. If Leningraders and Belarusians start something, they always strive to bring it to its logical conclusion and with the best results.”
The Belarusian leader recalled that during the previous meeting the goal was outlined to reach the coveted $1bn in trade, “To achieve this, year-on-year supply volumes will have to increase by approximately 20 percent. I believe that this is a feasible task in the current situation, and we will definitely not limit ourselves to this billion. This is such a conditional guideline for us.”
Over the past year, mutual trade between Belarus and the Leningrad Region exceeded $834m – almost 20 percent up from 2021. For seven months of this year, trade turnover totalled about $533m (an increase of almost a quarter compared to the same period last year).
