Meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin

The Belarusian land has always been near and dear to Russian people, and will remain so, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on 17 July.

“As for our relations, you should know that we are not going anywhere, as some are trying to picture. This piece of land has always been near and dear to Russian people. It will always remain so, even if we and you do not want this. People will decide for themselves where to live. It would be great, however, to be present at this process," the Belarusian leader stressed.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, Belarus insists on all the agreements to be fulfilled. “Both we and Russia have a list of them. We need to build our relations in the Union exclusively on an equal footing. As a historian, I understand this very well and have studied the topic very carefully. Unions built on an unequal basis are not viable long-term,” the President said.

“Times have changed. Today it is impossible, as it was in the Middle Ages, to conquer some country and subjugate it for 100-150 years. The situation is different. Russia has enough of its own lands, if we talk about Russia,” said the Belarusian leader. “Today we will exchange opinions. I will tell you about what is going on in our country during this election period. Some very strange things are happening. I will tell you about them later,” he added.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also conveyed greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We are looking forward to seeing him at the Eurasian Economic Union summit in Minsk,” he said.