Belarusian MP opines on sanctions, their effect

Western sanctions have a negative impact, but Belarus has been largely able to reduce it, Chairman of the Standing Commission on International Affairs of the House of Representatives Andrei Savinykh told the Glavny Tur YouTube channel on 30 October, BelTA has learned.

"Naturally, sanctions have a negative impact. There's no denying it. Another issue is the extent of the negative impact," the MP said.

According to Andrei Savinykh, this extent is determined not only by the scale of the sanctions but also by the counterwork, in this case by Belarus.

"We have been largely able to reduce this negative effect," he said.

"But let's not forget that these sanctions slow down the development. We would be moving forward much faster but for them. They hinder our development prospects, our future incomes,” Andrei Savinykh said. “There is no doubt that sanctions are a negative phenomenon. And there's no doubt that we will be able to weather them."

The MP stressed that sanctions are illegal criminal actions that lead to the destruction of the global international order.