FM: Belarus sells 64% of its output abroad

Belarus continues to trade with more than 210 countries and territories. About 64% of the country’s output, over 1,000 commodity groups, are supplied to foreign markets, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maksim Ryzhenkov told the Economy of Belarus Magazine.  

“Attempts to isolate our country have failed and, I assure you, will have no success in the future. Lost export flows to the markets of the West and Ukraine have already been compensated and reoriented, and even significantly exceeded.”  

In total, Belarus continues to trade with more than 210 countries and territories. The five main partners include Russia, China, UAE, Poland, and Germany. Belarus maintains large trade volumes with Kazakhstan, Türkiye, Italy, Brazil, Uzbekistan.

“A serious challenge for domestic exporters has been building logistics for the delivery of goods and reformatting the system of cross-border payments. We are working on these issues, including with partners from friendly countries, and, as a rule, we find effective solutions. In 2023, mutual trade in goods and services between Belarus and Russia exceeded the record-high $53 billion. In 2024, we expect a new record, which certainly sounds encouraging. Our interaction with other traditional partners in the EAEU and CIS, as well as Georgia, also develops vibrantly. The export to these countries has increased by almost a quarter of the 2023 figures.”  

The systematic work with other partners, including the countries of the far arc - India, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates and others - continues. China occupies a special place.

“To be frank, the share of these countries in our exports is still not as large as it could be. The growth dynamics, however, is positive - from 11% in 2021 to 20% in 2024. Our strategic goal is 30%. We are working to achieve it. Besides, despite the attempts of the political leadership of the EU and the USA to strangle their business related to Belarus, there is still a serious interest in trade and investment cooperation. We continue to work in sectors unaffected by sanctions, including increasing exports to the EU. That speaks volumes, and smart, sensible people have drawn conclusions long ago.”