MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. The year 2022 was proof that Minsk and Moscow are technologically and economically self-sufficient, Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik said on Wednesday.

He pointed out at a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that economic integration between Minsk and Moscow and efforts to strengthen the economic pillar of the union were extremely important amid never-before-seen sanctions pressure.

"The past year showed that we are truly resilient and capable of ensuring our economic and technological sovereignty, and we are also capable of ensuring the self-sufficiency of our economies," the Belarusian foreign minister noted.

According to him, a lot of projects are on the agenda, including 28 Union programs and import substitution efforts. "Our joint trade rose by 1.4 times. I think that this figure speaks for itself and indicates our resilience to sanctions pressure," the top diplomat emphasized.

Aleinik expects that once Belarus and Russia emerge from hard times, they will come out "stronger, more self-sufficient and focused on labor and creation.".