Łukašenka says he and Putin agreed on strict control over import substitution

June 27, BPN. Alaksandr Łukašenka has said that he and Vladimir Putin agreed to strictly control import substitution, BELTA reported.

Today the question is how to meet Russia’s demand for the goods produced by Belarus, he said at the meeting with Samara region governor Dmitriy Azarov in Minsk on June 27.

“The task of our government is not to reject any category and leave contracts unimplemented,” he said.

He added that he has discussed the issue with Putin a lot in recent days: “And we have agreed to control this import substitution process very strictly.”

According to Łukašenka, the $1.5 billion allocated for import substitution should be used immediately and “without any reservations.”

“Otherwise, we will give rise to internal discontent of the people and repeat what happened during the collapse of the Soviet Union,” he added.

On June 9, Łukašenka said that Russia will allocate $1.5 billion for Belarus to participate in import-substitution programs.

On May 26, Putin said that his country will allocate targeted funding to Belarus for import substitution. He said that Belarus “has retained certain competencies that are very important for us, including in microelectronics.”