There is an opportunity for rapid recovery of the national economy after a recession caused by the closure of borders and world markets due to the pandemic, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a government meeting in Minsk on 25 May to discuss social, economic and political issues, BelTA has learned.

According to the head of state, the main focus has recently been on the economy and treatment of people in light with the ongoing pandemic. “Due to the hysteria that unfolded in the mass media, which has made the most severe impact on people and through people on the economy, the heads of state of the entire planet have taken serious decisions to close down the countries (read: close the economy),” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The relevant situation, including that of Belarus' main partners, could not but affect its economic development. “Our economy is export-oriented. Therefore, there has been a certain decline in the economy. The decline is acceptable, tolerable, though. This suggests that if the opening of the countries is more intense than now (and the process has already begun, no one will stop it, because people are outraged, they do not want to sit in isolation), then we will be able to quickly restore our economy,” the Belarusian leader said.

The head of state added that even in the current situation, many industries, such as agriculture, construction, IT and a number of others, are delivering growth. “The industry will face some issues though. We could not buy components (we used up everything we had). Hence, we could not sell our products. There is a lot of finished products, which have already started to sell out. This is a good signal for the future,” said the head of state.

“By no means could we forget about the economy. And, of course, we were worried about how things would develop with regard to the treatment of various coronavirus-related diseases,” the president said.

Attending the meeting were Head of the Belarus President Administration Igor Sergeyenko, Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova, Head of the Belarus President Property Management Directorate Viktor Sheiman and Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus Mikhail Orda.