Meeting with Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev in Minsk on 10 September.

“There are some issues we need to discuss. They are crucial for the  Belarusian-Russian relations. I think we have a lot to talk about, the more so that the two premiers met in Moscow not long ago to discuss the status of implementation of the Union State Treaty. We are trying to reach the arrangements what we can at the moment. Together with Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] we answered all the questions and set goals before the governments when we last met in St Petersburg,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The President added that there was nothing extraordinary in Nikolai Patrushev’s visit to Minsk. His trip to Belarus was planned long ago, although some media have been fueling up various conspiracy theories. “The visit will be useful for further progress in the Belarusian-Russian relations. Despite some unresolved issues, I wish other states had the relations between each other like Belarus and Russia have today. No conspiracy theories here,” he said.

The secretary of the Russian Security Council echoed the President’s opinion. His visit to Minsk and the meeting with the Belarusian head of state are scheduled events. “There is nothing extraordinary about it. The main thing is that the security councils have been operating in a routine more, efficiently and successfully. I am convinced that the parties will continue their fruitful cooperation,” Nikolai Patrushev said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko gave Nikolai Patrushev a gift related to his service in Belarus during the Soviet Union times: “I have decided to give you the record of your service in Belarus. I know that you have warm memories of those years. All the details of your service are here. Your record is flawless. This is why you have become a big man. I think you will be happy to reflect on those years.”