By John Owen Nwachukwu Russian President, Vladimir Putin has said Western sanctions are only pushing his country and its ally Belaru...
By John Owen Nwachukwu
Russian President, Vladimir Putin has said Western sanctions
are only pushing his country and its ally Belarus toward “speeding up
integration. ”
Putin said Russian integration with Belarus will come in
various sectors, which, according to him, would “minimize the damage” of the
sanctions.
“Russia and Belarus have continued to grow in their
cooperation in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian
spheres,” Putin said in a video message to the participants of an annual
Russia-Belarus forum on Friday
“The unprecedented pressure of sanctions from the so-called
collective West is pushing us towards speeding up integration.
“Together it is easier to minimize the damage from the
illegal sanctions, it is easier to set up the production of demanded products,
develop new competencies and expand cooperation with friendly countries,” Putin
said.
Belarus is a staunch Russian ally and helped facilitate
Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February, with some Russian forces entering the
country through the Ukrainian-Belarusian border.
A number of joint programs between the two nations have
already been developed and more are on track for the coming years, Putin said.
Areas of cooperation include technological and industrial innovation, finances
and transport.
Putin said the joint programs were aimed at creating “equal
economic conditions for our countries” and would “form a reliable framework for
a financial market and transport base.”
His message comes just days before Belarus celebrates its
independence from Nazi Germany on July 3, and as Russia and Belarus marked 30
years of diplomatic relations earlier this year.
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