Belarus' losses from Western sanctions described as minuscule

MINSK, 1 December (BelTA) – Belarus' losses from Western sanctions are minuscule against the background of economic growth in the country, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview with Dmitry Kiselyov, Director General of the Russian state news agency MIA Rossiya Segodnya, BelTA has learned.

"I can't cite any figures to illustrate the losses. We are trying to minimize it [the impact of sanctions]. Naturally, we will lose something. But compared to the growth we have had this year, this damage is minuscule. I have not event given an instruction to make calculations, because this will be more expensive than the damage itself," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

He noted that enterprises in Belarus did not go into lockdown during the pandemic. "We did not stop the economy, and we were lucky in that regard," Aleksandr Lukashenko said, explaining that Belarusian producers got a chance to tap more into foreign markets at a time when other countries were on lockdown.

“They imposed lockdown and other measures. Meanwhile we continued producing consumer goods... When Russia had its hiatus, Belarus continued working supplying more to your market. We jumped at the opportunity to increase our sales on this huge market. That trend continued this year. Exports did well. Therefore, this year is not bad for us," the president emphasized.

"This helps us to minimize these losses from sanctions," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.