MINSK, 13 July (BelTA) – Negotiations of Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko and President of Russia Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg lasted five hours and 20 minutes, BelTA learned from the Telegram channel Pul Pervogo.
The meeting of the heads of state took place in Konstantinovsky Palace.
At the beginning of the talks Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that economy is one of the key matters they should take care of since sanctions are introduced or are extended not only against Belarus but Russia as well. Nevertheless, he was convinced that Belarus and Russia would be able to survive the blow. “We will not simply survive. We will develop. It is not a problem. They will be unable to monopolize the international agenda and pressure us today. It won't work! The world has changed.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko said he was glad that Belarus-Russia trade was on the rise. He agreed that any sanctions offer opportunities, in particular, opportunities for economy diversification and import substitution.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also mentioned the need to pay close attention to the matter of security of Belarus and Russia. “Whatever [opponents] may say to lull us, we see that we did the right thing in the past by paying attention to the defense of our states and to security. I will tell you a lot about what is going on. The dynamics is crazy. Something changes every day,” the president said.
The head of state stressed that opponents of the government in Belarus now terrorize individuals. It is the next stage of the so-called color revolution or rioting in Belarus. “We will find them all. And once we do, they will be held accountable, in a serious way at that,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Apart from that, the president mentioned that the Belarusian government had started a vigorous campaign to crack down on various not-for-profit organizations, non-governmental organizations, and so-called Western mass media. “Which have been gifting democracy here or actually implanting democracy. And not democracy but all this terror,” the Belarusian leader said.
In turn, the Russian president emphasized that Belarus remains a major and reliable economic partner for Russia. He pointed out that despite external challenges, the sanctions, and the pandemic the Belarusian economy demonstrates quite good performance. In particular, Belarus services all the loans. Moreover, its external debt is declining. “Belarus is a reliable and stable partner in this regard,” the Russian leader stated.
Previously BelTA quoted the Telegram channel Pul Pervogo as saying that Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin agreed to arrange this meeting during a phone conversation on 1 July.
