The trade turnover between Russia and Belarus fell by 21% in six months, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said, TASS reports. According to the PM, last year’s trade between the two countries amounted to $35.5 billion, Vedomosti reports.
“Unfortunately, the pandemic has made its own adjustments. During this six months, our turnover has decreased by 21% – to about $12.5 billion,” Mishustin said during a meeting with Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko. The prime minister expressed hope that Russia and Belarus will be able to return to their previous trade volumes after the quarantine restrictions are lifted.
Earlier, BelTA reported that following the results of negotiations on September 3 with the current President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, Mishustin announced progress in economic integration within the Union State. He stressed that cooperation will take place with respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Belarus. In the next two weeks, Lukashenko will discuss issues of Russian-Belarusian integration in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Protests have been taking place in Belarus since August 9, some citizens took to the streets to show disagreement with the results of the presidential elections, which were won by Lukashenko, who became President of Belarus for the sixth time.
According to official data from the CEC, the incumbent president received 80.08% of the vote, while opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya – 10.09%. The countries of the European Union did not recognize the election results and threatened Minsk with sanctions, the Baltic states have already introduced restrictions against the Belarusian authorities. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would recognize the election results.
