Aleksandr Lukashenko meets with Chairman of the Board of Directors of Uralchem Group Dmitry Mazepin

President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has invited the Russian company Uralkali to discuss what should be done in the interests of companies and the two countries. Aleksandr Lukashenko made the relevant statement as he met with Dmitry Mazepin, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of OAO Uralkali, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Uralchem Group, on 18 April.

Aleksandr Lukashenko received Dmitry Mazepin upon the latter’s request. “To some degree it is a special historic meeting after what has been going on in relations with former shareholders of your company,” said the President. “Your coming here to discuss the problems that might exist in relations between our companies today is important. Some bad feelings might even still linger in relations between the states”.

“Now we should consult and decide how we will live from now on, how we will act in the future,” the head of state is convinced. “Today we are convinced that the things that have happened on the potash market have not benefited anyone at least. We assumed so in our time,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The President stressed he was ready to discuss all issues and give “totally sincere answers without any diplomacy, there is nothing to hide here”. “We have to make up our minds about how we will act later on in the interests of our companies and our states. We are ready to discuss these matters. You know some fundamental views of ours, we have never tried to hide them. I think we will be able to sincerely talk, share opinions about the situation around us, particular, Ukraine’s factor and the destabilization of the situation in the western region, how it influences and will influence your and our interests in the near future,” said the head of state.

“But most of all we and you should recover from the mess with the least losses and should get some dividends instead of constant losses from the situation because a business has to earn money and should be beneficial for you and our company, our state,” said the President.

Dmitry Mazepin agreed that the conflict did not benefit the potash market. “The conflict that broke out with the former shareholders, did not do any good to them, or other companies or the market in general,” Dmitry Mazepin said.

He noted that he represents one of Russia’s biggest manufacturers of nitrogen fertilizers. “The drop in prices for potash fertilizers pulled down the prices for other types of fertilizers,” Dmitry Mazepin said.

“Today we represent our employees, our shareholders; behind us are thousands of workers, miners or those who work at factories. They need to know that the companies they work for have a future. Being one of the shareholders I want to make these companies grow. The decision to join Uralkali’s capital was aimed at creating, not destroying or destabilizing anything. I am a businessman, not a politician,” Dmitry Mazepin said.