Meeting with Moldova President Igor Dodon

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Moldova President Igor Dodon in Minsk on 10 April.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “There is a great deal of matters around us that we should discuss. Naturally, our relations, relations between Moldova and Belarus. I strongly hope that there are no problems in these relations and there shouldn’t be. Because we need each other, we had an agreement about it. Today’s meeting – it may be short but it is very important that we’ve met – will give an additional impulse to our relations. That’s the way I see this meeting.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko added that his meeting with Igor Dodon also represented a good opportunity to discuss the international agenda. “Generally speaking, our views coincide, nevertheless, a lot is happening. Particularly to our neighbors, in the huge and beautiful country of Ukraine that is between us. I think you have your own point of view on the situation,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted. “I’ve been criticized recently… You may have noticed that I speak about Ukraine too often but it cannot be any other way since it is our country, a close country.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko also touched upon Belarusian-Russian relations: “Our relations with Russia seem to be peculiar from the point of view of reporters and many other parties. I would like to inform you about the situation. You may have something to share, too. As far as I can understand, you will be in Russia tomorrow and will see the leaders. By the way, convey my greetings to our good friends, please.”

In turn, Igor Dodon noted that Belarus and Moldova enjoy friendly relations, including at the level of the heads of state. In his words, Moldovans love Belarus and respect its President. “What you do in Belarus in many sectors, not only economy, can be an example to follow for us. Certainly, there are no unresolved issues in our bilateral relations. It is necessary to polish everything related to trade,” he noted. “Belarus is the top buyer of some of our exports, this is why I am happy we will be able to talk about it today.”

The Moldova President also expressed interest in discussing the international agenda, including the election in Ukraine. “We hope that everything will be fine and stable in Ukraine. It is in our interests. Because we deliver quite a large part of our products to Russia and other CIS states via Ukraine. What will happen there is very important for us. Moreover, the Ukrainian diaspora in Moldova is the largest one,” he pointed out.

Igor Dodon thanked Belarus for supporting Moldova on the platform of the Eurasian Economic Union – Moldova received an observer status the EAEU in 2018. “A top-level meeting will take place in Kazakhstan in May. We will have a broader format meeting there,” he concluded.