Trade between the neighbors is booming amid Western sanctions

Shipments of Belarusian goods to Russia surged by as much as 50% in January compared to the same period a year ago, Moscow’s ambassador to Minsk, Boris Gryzlov, said last week.

The envoy added that trade turnover between the two nations in 2022 totaled $45.8 billion, marking an increase of 14.3% year-over-year. 

According to Gryzlov, the allies were able to “reorient a major part of Belarusian goods to the Russian market,” which “made it possible to compensate for about 40% of exports that Belarus lost due to restrictions imposed by the West.” 

“In 2022, Belarus increased exports to Russia by 40.2% to $22.9 billion,” the ambassador said ahead a meeting between Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko.

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Gryzlov expressed confidence that all of the projects and initiatives planned by the two nations would be implemented.

“This confidence is not declarative, but based on specific data that confirms that we are going in the right direction,” he explained.

In a separate statement, the Belarusian premier said that trade with Russia saw a 22% year-on-year increase in the first quarter of 2023.

“Our enterprises are connected by very close manufacturing cooperation relations that grow stronger for the benefit of the two countries,” Golovchenko said. 

“We also face serious tasks of ensuring the technological sovereignty of the Union State of Belarus and Russia and of protecting national interests.”

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