MINSK, 19 August (BelTA) – The governments have committed a failure in the course of advancing Belarus-Russia union relations. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement in an extended version of the recent interview with the TV channel Rossiya. The extended version was aired by the TV channel Belarus One in the evening, BelTA has learned.
The head of state recalled how fences at the Belarusian-Russian border had been removed back in the day. He personally participated in the process. The countries persistently advance cooperation but there are still some shortcomings primarily of economic nature. “We have some minor details. They say that when they land at airports, Belarusians have to follow a procedure that differs from the one Russians follow. Some additional control and the rest. In other words, some minor details have yet to be addressed. But I don’t think these minor details matter much,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted while talking about border affairs.
The president stressed that the economic foundation of the union is the key. “What was the essential point? Equal conditions for people and for enterprises. If these equal conditions do not exist, what kind of a union is it then?” Aleksandr Lukashenko wondered. “I sometimes think that… I even tell Putin when I am upset: ‘Listen, will you look at how they [in the West] root for each other.’ We may not know something but from the outside we see that they help, provide weapons and money… And I say: why can’t our two countries do the same? Is Belarus too big of a burden to bear for Russia? No. Besides, we will repay the favor. And we pay back with interest.”
“This is why we have to place the economy on a solid foundation. I was wondering who slows down the process in Russia. It is not Putin’s policy. We have such common views. We are so close to each other. We have absolutely no differences of opinion. It is a shortcoming of our governments. We’ve agreed that the governments will take care of economy. But if there are some rough spots, we will get involved. A good formula. But we, the two presidents have to interfere in economic affairs all the time. Although there is a bunch of other issues that the presidents need to look into now. This is why the governments have to form this foundation,” the head of state stated.
He reminded that he had formulated the idea of a common Fatherland from Brest to Vladivostok at some point. “Who can argue against that? No one,” the Belarusian leader noted. “The two states will act as a single whole in this [space]. And we will be smart enough to build such relations. This is how we should proceed today. There is no other way. And we don’t need an other way.”
Speaking about Belarus’ support for Russia, Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed: “We don’t hide it because we are actually in the same boat. What should we hide? If the boat keels over, both of us will drown. Both Russia and Belarus. What do we have to hide?”
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