First Deputy Foreign Minister Siarhei Lukashevich said Belarus has achieved quiet successes in supplying potash fertilizers. He made the remarks while commenting on the easing of U.S. sanctions against Belarus’s potash industry.
“Supplies of potash fertilizers from Belarus to various destinations are a very relevant and, you know, hot issue lately for understandable reasons. Belarus is undoubtedly one of the largest producers of potash fertilizers; we are among the top three globally. The difficulties that currently exist with supplying our fertilizers are also well known. At the same time, the results — let us call them successes, quiet successes — are also known, allowing us to continue supplying potash fertilizers to a number of countries where there is, first and foremost, a need for potash fertilizers“, he said in Moscow at the Belarus–Africa business forum for diplomats from African countries accredited in the Russian capital.
“The supply of potash fertilizers to Africa is primarily regulated by the requests of the African countries themselves, because potash is not needed everywhere as a fertilizer, as well as by these countries’ capacity to receive Belarusian potash. These are primarily issues of logistics and economic feasibility — both for buyers and for the seller“, Lukashevich added.
In his view, relations between Minsk and African countries are currently experiencing a period of growth.
“This is truly an unprecedented historical moment, one could say a flourishing of relations between Belarus and the states of Africa. Our political contacts are being actively reinforced by economic cooperation. Belarus is not simply ready to contribute to meeting the growing demand for food products, industrial and agricultural machinery and equipment, mineral products, and chemical goods through straightforward supplies. We are talking about long-term trade and economic interaction with the involvement of investment and a transition to industrial cooperation with the creation of joint production facilities“, he said.
Lukashevich also emphasized the special approach of the Belarusian authorities toward the continent.
“During Soviet times, our military and civilian specialists helped fight colonialism and its consequences in many countries on the continent. We have not lost these ties. Moreover, as a second wave of decolonization grows and our African friends seek to reduce their dependence on Western states and aggressive transnational corporations, these ties are demonstrating renewed relevance“, he added.