Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin

Belarus and Russia are setting a positive example and acting as the engine of integration in the post-Soviet space, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We have embraced this role – to be the driving force of integration in the post-Soviet space. We are not imposing our model on anyone. Those who want, may use it in their domestic policy; those who do not, may refrain. It is a good example for anyone committed to joint work and genuine integration,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said that the year-end press conference with the Russian President Vladimir Putin held on 19 December is a landmark and bold event in the current situation.

“I congratulate you on this event. This is a landmark event, particularly now. A bold one, particularly in the current situation. It is good that you did not avoid pressing issues. We have reviewed, analyzed, and identified common issues that we need to work on,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also expressed gratitude to his Russian counterpart for praising his Address delivered at the session of the Belarusian People’s Congress. “We very much appreciated the fact that the Russian President watched and listened to it,” he noted.

“Back in Bishkek [on the sidelines of the CSTO summit in late November this year], we agreed not to micromanage the work to address practical issues in bilateral relations. It was the right thing to do: there are very few of them, and the governments are working well on them. As we agreed, if some problem persists, let those at the top deal with it. There are only one or two matters left requiring our consideration,” the Belarusian leader stated.

“And overall, we are implementing all our agreements, from the defense sector to economic matters. There are practically no issues in this regard,” the President concluded.