Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Economic Reforms and Vice President of the Association of Belarusian Businesses, Aleś Alachnovič, talked in his new interview with Salidarnasc on how Belarus can shift its economy away from Russia and suggested steps that could bring positive changes. Mr. Alachnovič has previously described the state of Belarus’ economy in another talk with Salidarnasc.
Here are the key points from the new interview:
📌 “Almost all Central and Eastern European countries were heavily dependent on the Soviet economy. Nevertheless, they successfully reoriented and are now prosperous nations”.
📌 “Belarus needs to integrate into global value chains. Foreign entities investing in Belarus after the democratic transition will bring modern technologies and new production, ensuring exports abroad. Once Belarus opens its economy to the world, the number of investors will significantly increase”.
📌 “Today, Russia is virtually the only donor willing to provide loans to Belarus. When political changes occur in Belarus, the authorities will be able to change the approach due to foreign actors’ understanding that Belarus now respects the law and will fulfill its financial obligations. The process may start with restructuring existing debts and continue with new long-term loan agreements”.
📌 “We need to consider the cultural and historical ties between Belarus and Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. These countries might be interested in having one more country from their region in the EU. The European Union is always interested in supporting its neighbors. It faces fewer problems if they are democratic and have developed economies”.
📌 “If we avoid major mistakes during political and economic reforms, Belarus can catch up with Poland within one generation, and within two generations with Spain, Italy, and France”.
