Lukashenko: Belarus should make maximum use of Russian ports

Belarus should use every available meter of Russian ports for shipment of its goods, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting on 11 August to discuss the creation of port facilities to export Belarusian products, BelTA has learned.

“We do not have time to wait for certain infrastructure to be built in any of the ports. Today we are talking primarily about the north-western region of the Russian Federation. The Russian president showed me all the ports of St. Petersburg and around it and offered to choose any direction. I told him that we needed to ship our goods immediately. He suggested choosing any point and starting to ship. This means that while we are building our port facilities there, we need to make the maximum use of the Russian ports to ship our goods,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

According to the head of state, Belarusian companies have already started working in this area. “We need to speed it up, however. Let's discuss our future steps, how we are going to work. The government must ensure full support of the project. I received the same support from the Russian president. Tell us what we need to do to accelerate construction works and start shipping our goods today,” the president added.