Meeting with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov

Belarus is a reliable ally of the Russian Federation and there can be no games in this matter, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov.

“Both Russia and Belarus are doing a lot to prevent Europe and the entire world from approaching the most dangerous line. You should know that we will continue doing it. We are reliable allies of the Russian Federation. Have no doubts about it. There can be no games here, since we understand that a lot is at stake, including the survival of our states and our peoples,” the President said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko thanked Sergey Lavrov for coming to Minsk for the high-level international conference on Eurasian security. “It is important that representatives of many countries will hear your position, Russia’s position, on many issues of European security,” the head of state emphasized.

Belarus-Russia cooperation within the Union State remains on track despite various kinds of external pressure. “As for trade, which is fundamental to our cooperation, you know that this year we will reach a record high level. Although Belarus is not a big country, it is among the top five trading partners of the huge, gigantic Russia. This speaks volumes,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

“You can be rest assured that we will maintain the sovereignty of Belarus and Russia when it comes to economy and other things. Even in the areas where we fell a little behind hoping for cooperation with ‘advanced’ Europe and the collective West. We will make up for this. It will not take much time. We have mapped out certain steps in microelectronics and other areas,” the President said.