Meeting with State Secretary of Union State Dmitry Mezentsev

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with outgoing Russian Ambassador Dmitry Mezentsev, who has recently been appointed the State Secretary of the Union State of Belarus and Russia on 26 March. 

At the beginning of the meeting, the head of state touched on the topic of the epidemiological situation in the world, the production of COVID-19 vaccine in Belarus using the Russian technology and the work of scientists on a domestic vaccine. Aleksandr Lukashenko discussed these issues with Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich just before the meeting with Dmitry Mezentsev. 

Taking into account the meeting with Governor of Russia’s Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako the day before, the president also raised the topic of interaction with the Russian regions. Aleksandr Lukashenko suggested exploring the development of cooperation with China in a trilateral format - through Primorsky Krai and beyond. 

"I think we will open a new direction of cooperation with China, namely through the Far East," the Belarusian leader said. “Oleg Kozhemyako has great ties with Chinese partners. They bring and sell goods there which are then distributed all over Russia. For its part, the Far East freely sells many goods there. Why don't we, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Makei, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs] not use this channel to supply our goods to East China and the Asia-Pacific region in general? It is very interesting for us.”

“Proposals prepared by the Primorsky Krai government for the Belarusian construction complex, manufacturers of industrial products, agricultural sector are very impressive,” Dmitry Mezentsev said. “Given the unique position of the Far East, the system of relations with the People's Republic of China and other countries of the Asia-Pacific region, this can provide a completely new quality and bring new profits, obvious benefits for Belarus, for producers of the real sector of the economy.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that he plans to visit Primorsky Krai of Russia this year and discuss the cooperation more substantively. "Maybe I will be able to travel there in August and then we will have a very serious discussion," he said. 

The head of state also recalled the need for more active development of relations with other Russian regions. "We have excellent relations with other regions, and we need to pay more attention, within the framework of the Union State, to these projects with the regions (Russia is huge), and try to solve concrete issues in this format," the president said.

A terrorist attack has been prevented in Belarus. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement as he met with the outgoing Russian ambassador Dmitry Mezentsev.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “When we were talking about burning issues yesterday, we mentioned the situation in Belarus. It was the traditional Freedom Day yesterday. We calmly treated the opposition when they celebrated this Freedom Day. The opposition! Radical or not radical… So what if they went for a walk along a specific route. But you know that yesterday they were in a special mood, they were in a mood to start shaking up things. Spring is coming after all…”

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, such things are monitored, including information on the Internet. “We know what they are up to. One message: too few people (there were nearly zero people), Belarusians are bad and the rest.”

“I analyze the situation and think: there are many errant people and other kinds among our so-called protesters. But not all of them are idiots. Can’t they see that those fugitives suck up these money flows in Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine? Truth to tell, nobody has given 53 million despite promises. Something trickles down but not enough [for the opposition abroad]. And you  see they demand from abroad that our so-called protesters should take to the streets and shake Lukashenko's regime. Some tried and were nipped in the bud,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.

“The day before that they had been warning the Belarusian society and the Russian one all the time that the government is preparing a provocation, that the authorities want to blow up something. It put me on alert, I have the experience. Since they talk about it, we have to be vigilant. And what do you know? Police did well. Karpenkov’s former branch [Deputy Interior Minister, Chief of the Interior Troops Nikolai Karpenkov was the chief of the Central Organized Crime and Corruption Office of the Interior Ministry till 19 November 2020] detected the scumbag!” the president said. “He placed explosives inside a waste bin. The explosion would have delivered a devastating impact due to metal or concrete [shrapnel]. He had been detected in advance and had been under surveillance. He placed the explosive and bomb specialists defused it after that. Later on he went to an army unit where he was apprehended and handed over to the State Security Committee.”

“Terror! Imagine how many people would be killed and injured as a result of the explosion…” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

“And the authorities would have been blamed for it,” remarked Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei, who was also present during the meeting.

“Who else? They had been claiming I wanted to punish law enforcement agencies. As if law enforcement officers would gather up around this waste bin,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “Total scumbags. I said they would shake us up in various ways. We’ve been recording and still record when they go overboard. This is why as a former ambassador and the state secretary of our association you should know that we will stay vigilant here because things would be worse otherwise.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko also noted that Russia's FSB often shares information about people, who have been making preparations for terrorist attacks in Russia and have been apprehended. “FSB officers are doing great in this regard,” the president said. “Because you see they’ve started putting a bit of pressure from all sides. And after those wild statements of the U.S. president we cannot hope for a calm life…”

“It will not be calmer,” Dmitry Mezentsev responded.

“No, it will never be calm. Contrariwise, we should stay vigilant in this regard,” Aleksandr Lukashenko is convinced.

Dmitry Mezentsev noted that the unity of Russia and Belarus on the basis of the Union State of Belarus and Russia is important in these conditions. It is also important to expand integration programs, programs on selling Belarusian products to regions of Russia.