A. Lukashenko emphasizes the need to find alternative routes for energy supply to Belarus

June 28, Minsk / Vladimir Matveev - BELTA /. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, speaking at a meeting on the most pressing issues of diversifying Belarus's foreign economic activity, as well as cooperation with Venezuela, Russia and Ukraine, stressed the need to find alternative routes for energy supplies to the country, a BELTA correspondent reports. Opening the meeting, the head of state drew the attention of those present to how the situation around Belarus has been developing in recent months and years, primarily in the economic and trade and economic spheres. "And there are quite a few issues in the political sphere too," he noted. "You see what position our eastern neighbor is taking, and also our western neighbor in the face of the EU," said Alexander Lukashenko. According to him, it is natural and objective that the people of Belarus, which is a relatively young state on the world map, "will have to prove with their intellect, mind, and, God forbid, force, the necessity and possibility of living on this land as a nation, as a people." Alexander Lukashenko expressed his conviction that Russia will remain a good neighbor and friend for Belarus. "All this will pass (conflicts in relations. - BELTA note). But we must proceed from the classical norms of existence of any state - alternativeness and diversification of relations. We cannot depend on one state, one supply center, be it energy resources, raw materials, or components. We must fly, as they say in Belarus, "on two wings," the Belarusian leader emphasized. The head of state noted, addressing the meeting participants, that one should not live in a dream world, but must firmly defend the interests of the republic. "Knowing this, a few years ago we tried to find an alternative to hydrocarbon raw materials from the Russian Federation and reached out to the Latin American markets, Africa, and Iran - where there are enough hydrocarbon raw materials. We started producing oil in Venezuela and Iran. Moreover, we have reached the point where today we are already supplying oil from Venezuela and processing it quite successfully at our enterprises," the President said. "Today, the issue is reliable oil supplies to Belarus from world markets and through various routes. We must in no case repeat the mistake that happened with Russia. And supplying oil from other markets through one route is as dangerous as the current dependence on one state for hydrocarbon raw material supplies. Therefore, several directions are being worked out for both oil and gas." Alexander Lukashenko noted that during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Lithuania, which took place today, he (the Lithuanian Prime Minister. - BELTA note) confirmed once again that "Gazprom" sells gas much more expensively than the current price in Europe. "Of course, no one in Europe will buy such gas, and it will be very difficult for Gazprom to maintain the price, but these are their problems, their product. We, by and large, can argue, agree or disagree, but we must always have an alternative," the Belarusian leader stressed. Addressing the meeting participants, Alexander Lukashenko noted that he would like to hear a clear report on how the agreements reached are being implemented, without traditional excuses and references to "objective" circumstances. "Has everything possible and impossible been done to move away from energy mono-dependence?" the head of state asked. -0-