MINSK, January 23. /TASS/. Belarus is not confining itself to the Russian market and continues to maintain ties with European trade partners even amid the sanction pressure, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Pyotr Parkhomchik said on Sunday.

"We are not confining ourselves to the Russian market. Our task is to satisfy the Russian market demand with products of our enterprises, and at the same time to try to sell the rest in other regions," he said in an interview with the ONT television channel.

He said that bilateral trade had reached a record-high level in 2022 and noted that amid the sanctions the Russian market had quickly reoriented to Minsk and "was ready to consume everything" Belarusian manufacturers were offering. At the same time, he stressed that Minsk continues to try to diversify its exports.

"We are not refusing from the European market and we are trying to supply our products and service those products that are already there. We are maintaining our ties. But it is very difficult to do," Parkhomchik said.