MINSK, January 19. /TASS/. Belarus and Russia need to focus on their own production, not depending on imports, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

"We're in the same boat. Therefore, as Vladimir V. Putin and I have agreed, we need to focus on our own [production]. Sanctions or not, we need to focus on our own [production]," he said.

Lukashenko acknowledged that there are still a number of problems that should be addressed. "However, President Putin and I will solve them. The main thing is that both governors and business leaders understand that we need our own technologies. Look, we have so many technologies. And from Soviet times that we simply threw away, forgot, rushing to the West. And now we've realized that we had decent technologies. And they're alive and well today, and we need to use them. <...> We can ensure our independence in almost every area," he stressed.