Sanctions and blocked transit through Lithuania will not stop Belarusian production

20 февраля 2022

The Belarusian economy has set a good pace at the start of the year. GDP amounted to 2.7% in January. The industry is growing up, which means that our goods are in good demand in the domestic and foreign markets. We still rely on exports for our development. Sanctions and blocked transit through Lithuania have not stopped production.

After all, if one door closes, another one opens at once. The potash fertilizer deliveries via Ukraine are continuing, and the volumes may increase. The neighbor understands the profitability of these routes. The thing cannot be said about Lithuania. And the position of official Vilnius is not shared by all the Lithuanians. 

The Lithuanian newspaper "Vechernie Novosti" has a circulation of 23 thousand copies. It comes out in Russian and Lithuanian. With a reputation as a Eurosceptic, it actively writes about Belarus, trying to look into the most complicated issues objectively. The current realities of the bilateral relations were discussed with the head of the government. And the stopped transshipment of potash fertilizers comes to the fore. 

The Belarusian economy at the start of 2022 showed a good pace with GDP in January amounting to 2.7%. The government is sure that the closed transit through Lithuania will not upset the plans. On the contrary, it plays into our hands. Prices are rising because of the sanctions decisions. And there is a confident demand on the markets. And Russian ports will help to bring our products to the buyer, and without any additional costs for us. The Belarusian Prime Minister also spoke about this during the week. But it's time to calculate damages in Klaipeda, Lithuania, but even without exact figures it's obvious that the cargo turnover is falling. After all, its activity entirely depends on containers of potassium from Belarus.

On Friday, there were 2 670 cars waiting to enter Lithuania, and only 380 to enter Belarus. The figures are disproportionate. But we are ready for a dialogue to solve the problems of people and business, said the Prime Minister. But the arguments are not heard. 

Partnership and support are very important at the moment. After all, the world economy is not recovering fast. Belarus is dealing with several problems at once: sanctions, pandemics, inflation, the rising cost of global logistics and raw materials. But this turbulence will not disrupt the plans. The government forecasts the economic growth. Sanctions and blocked transit through Lithuania have not stopped the Belarusian production.