Official visit to Russia

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Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko paid an official visit to the Russian Federation.

On 14 December the aircraft with the Belarusian head of state on board landed in the Vnukovo airport.

On 15 December Aleksandr Lukashenko laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow. After the ceremony, Aleksandr Lukashenko headed for the Kremlin to hold one-on-one and extended talks with Russia President Vladimir Putin.

The heads of state discussed a wide range of bilateral issues. In particular, special attention was drawn to the development of integration relations. “We should not let economic challenges divide the countries of the Belarus-RussiaUnionState and the Eurasian Economic Union,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

The presidents discussed the equal access to the Russian market for Belarusian goods. The President of Russia supported the idea.

Belarusian manufacturers have a good reputation on the Russian market. “We are ready to do our best to satisfy the Russian market demand for the groups of commodities of competitive quality and price which we can produce,” the President of Belarus said. He reminded that a number of key exports produced in Belarus are made from Russian parts, Russian raw materials, i.e. they are real products of Belarus-Russia cooperation.

Speaking about the import substitution program in Russia, Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that this is the movement in the right direction. “They will get results in the near future,” the Belarusian head of state is convinced. “But this program should not worsen the opportunities and conditions for our joint enterprises, especially those connected with the supply of Belarusian goods and services,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. The President of Belarus emphasized that equal opportunities and conditions of delivering Belarusian goods and services are envisaged in the EEU bilateral agreements and norms.

Discussing the international agenda, the two presidents had talked not only about Ukraine, but also about the situation in the Middle East and other trouble spots of the planet. The Belarusian head of state said: “Belarus is interested in peace in the Ukrainian land in a neighborly way.” The country has the same outlook on the situation in the Middle East. “We have no differences of opinion about these problems with the president of Russia,” added the head of state.

The President emphasized the productive character of the talks. “We do not have closed topics for discussion. We absolutely trust each other and openly voice our point of view in our negotiations,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

On 15 December the heads of state signed a joint statement in which they expressed readiness to coordinate efforts in the UnionState and the Eurasian Economic Union to create additional conditions for promoting mutual trade and raising the efficiency of the real production sector of the economies of the two states. In the joint statement they confirmed the main principles of strategic partnership of the two countries and determined the priorities of the Belarus-Russia relations development.