Belarus needs to expand the geography and range of exports, Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Alexander Gurianov told reporters on 11 May, BelTA has learnt.

“The first months of this year have revealed a positive trend in foreign trade; we have a trade surplus in goods and services,” he said. This trade surplus has been posted for the first time in many years.

The number one issue now is the quality of foreign trade, Alexander Gurianov emphasized. “Yes, we are doing a great job; we do not hesitate to take advantage of the Single Economic Space to boost our exports to Russia and Kazakhstan. However, we need to explore new markets more actively, as this is the major resource to expand the export. Our priorities include 18 countries of Asia, America and Africa. We are going to thoroughly analyze market opportunities there to start exporting to these countries,” Alexander Gurianov said.

It is also necessary to improve the structure of exports. “In addition to geographical diversification we need commodity diversification. We need to expand the list of exported products, move away from dependence on the supply of oil and oil products. We hope that this year, thanks to the measures that we have undertaken, we will be able to maintain a foreign trade surplus at the appropriate level,” Alexander Gurianov said.

Speaking about the measures taken to diversify export markets, he noted: “In general, we trade with more than 170 states. This year we started exporting goods to 20 new countries, for example Myanmar, Ghana. We supply potash fertilizers, sophisticated technology, including automotive equipment. We are working to increase deliveries of, for example, BelAZ trucks to the market of the Republic of South Africa. The growth trends remain in place.”

The Deputy Foreign Minister also touched upon the Single Economic Space. He noted that the industry must realize which benefits the SES yields and outline the areas of focus. “These include cooperation with Russian and Kazakhstan producers, raising foreign investment. So I think our industry needs to be more efficient, needs to make a full use of the SES benefits. We will help with organizational issues, including with the creation of favorable conditions for free movement of goods and capital in the single space,” Alexander Gurianov said.

BelTA