Poland’s Agriculture Minister Marek Savicki has reached an agreement on that in Minsk.
Official Minsk is willing to make money on Russian sanctions.
Belarusian authorities earlier claimed they would not restrict the imports of foodstuff from the EU, like Russia had done, a Polish Wiadomosci reports (translation - charter97.org).
Negotiations are taking place on this topic today in Minsk, in which Poland’s Agriculture Minister Marek Savicki is taking part.
An expert of the Eastern Studies Center Eva Fisher, PhD, emphasizes that increasing trade with Belarus would not violate the embargo, introduced by Moscow.
“Why wouldn’t Belarus east Polish vegetables and fruit and not send its own foodstuff to Russia for exports?” – the analyst wonders.
The deputy Agriculture Minister Tadeusz Nalewajk said that Poland could export almost as much apples to Belarus as to the European Union. Last year in the common market Poland sold 257 000 tons of fruit worth of up to 100 million euro.
In Eva Fisher’s opinion, now Polish farmers, who want to be present in the Russian market, will establish cooperation with Belarusians, because “trade does not tolerate idling”. “However, they will have to share the profits”, - Fisher reckons. She adds that because of the improved conditions of the Belarus’ economy, Russia will be crediting the dictator’s regime less.
According to the Polish Agriculture Ministry, the total volume of food exports from Poland to Belarus has accounted to a little over 300 million euro. At the same time Belarusian companies have sent about 3 billion euro worth of agricultural products to Russia.
We would remind that many experts believe Lukashenka plans on making money on re-selling European products, marked as Belarusian, to Russia.
