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Lukashenko thanks Putin for helping Belarusian economy

The Belarusian president noted a high trade turnover between the countries

SOCHI, February 22. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has thanked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for helping the republic’s economy.

"Of course, I am very grateful to you for the support you are providing for the economy of Belarus. I need to inform you, this is not in vain, the money is not wasted," he said during their meeting on Monday.

The Belarusian president noted a high trade turnover between the countries. "Out of approximately $70 bln of Belarus’ GDP we have at least half of the trade turnover tied to Russia, as you said. We are fourth in terms of the trade turnover with the Russian Federation," he stressed.

According to him, Belarus purchases in Russia "a huge amount of raw materials and components," and this volume "is constantly growing." If Russia and Belarus implement the projects planned, then import from Russia will grow significantly, the Belarusian head of state said.

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