Strength in unity

Belarus and Russia will be able to overcome the pressure of Western sanctions by teaming up with allies. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement as he met with President of Russia Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. The meeting of the Heads of State lasted for almost six hours and proceeded in various formats.

At the beginning of the conversation, Vladimir Putin congratulated Aleksandr Lukashenko on the successful holding of a Nationwide referendum on amendments and additions to the Constitution. He noted the high turnout at the polling stations and the support of the citizens of Belarus.
“The voter turnout was higher than the figure registered during the latest presidential election, by the way, by one and a half percent,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko. The Russian Head of State stressed, “I think that the political process that you have initiated, the dialogue that you are conducting with the people is extremely important in order to make the situation stable and sustainable. It is possible to discuss economic development only in this situation.”


As for the topic of sanctions pressure from the West, Aleksandr Lukashenko is sure that the countries will be able to overcome the existing challenges. The Belarusian leader formulated a specific plan during the meeting with Vladimir Putin.
“We need to rally together in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, in the Eurasian Economic Union. After all, everybody said we should stand together. Well, let’s do it. And trust me, once we also add these markets, we will forget we have sanctions in a month. Therefore, I am making this proposal (and I think you will support me): let’s get the CSTO and the EAEU together in Moscow, sit down at the negotiating table and agree on what we sell to each other. We also need to work out our common economic policy,” said the President of Belarus.
Aleksandr Lukashenko described the pressure of sanctions as a time of opportunities.
“I’ve told you over the phone more than once: the Russian Federation and Belarus always have to deal with sanctions. Today’s sanctions are larger, but we are already accustomed to this piggery of the West, I beg your pardon. Why piggery? Because all of it is illegitimate as they are fond of saying. All of it is illegal, in violation of all the international agreements and treaties,” stressed the Head of State.
Aleksandr Lukashenko is convinced that Belarus and Russia have everything in order to develop their economy in the current conditions,

“We can do without Western partners. We have everything in place to live and work normally. This is the time of opportunities. If we get our bearings, believe me, in six months — by the end of the year people will forget that this happened. From the point of view of the economy.”

The Russian colleague shares the same opinion with Aleksandr Lukashenko. Vladimir Putin is convinced,

“Attempts to limit and restrain our growth have always been made and are being made now. Certainly on a larger scale at present, it is obvious. However, I am sure that we will overcome these difficulties and will acquire more skill sets, more opportunities to be self-reliant and independent. In the end it will benefit us, as it was in previous years. A massive strike against the economy is being carried out now. But the practice of recent years indicates that we’ve gained new skill sets and regained old ones at a new technological level in the areas affected by Western sanctions. It’s all about work. We’ve certainly become stronger in this regard.”

By the way, trade and economic co-operation between Belarus and Russia is developing in a positive way amid sanctions.
“Last year we have increased the bilateral trade by more than a third — it is more than 34 percent,” noted Vladimir Putin.
An important topic of the talks was the situation in the region and directly in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin briefed the President of Belarus on the situation in the Ukrainian direction. 
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed, “More and more people come to understand the real situation and the essence of what is going. We did not attack them. We did not! It was preventive. The Armed Forces of Ukraine began to shoot back when we were at your place two days before. We were in a helicopter (during Aleksandr Lukashenko’s previous visit to the Russian Federation on February 18th after negotiations in the Kremlin, the Heads of State went to a countryside complex where they continued talking in an informal setting). We got regular updates. It was them who started doing it.

 I will show you the place from where the attack on Belarus was being prepared. Had there not been a preventive strike on the positions (four positions, I will show them now, I have brought the map) six hours before the operation, they would have attacked the troops of Belarus and Russia, who were at the military drills… I would like to reiterate: they were preparing to attack not only Donbass. They were in position to strike at Belarus… Therefore, it was not us who unleashed this war. Our conscience is clear. It is good that they started it. Biological weapons, the largest nuclear power plants... And all this was ready for blowing up.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko drew the interlocutor’s attention to an alarming circumstance, the existence of which he publicly announced the day before, “These foreign mercenaries are moving along Belarus’ border towards the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Three things. They want to cut off lines of march of Russian troops, to backstab them as I’ve said. Second, they want to attack positions of the troops staying in our country after the Belarusian-Russian army exercises. And they still hope we will get involved in this slaughter so that we would leave the Western flank unprotected. They are not that simple. And you and I have yet to figure out what they want to do in Chernobyl.”

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The Belarusian leader’s press secretary, Natalya Eismont, spoke about the important results and agreements between the Presidents of Belarus and Russia, “As a matter of priority, the Heads of State discussed in detail the situation in the world and in the region — with a focus on Ukraine. The course of negotiations taking place in Belarus and the positions of the Russian and Ukrainian sides were among the key topics in this context. As part of their discussion, Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky was invited to the meeting, and as a result, a unanimous opinion was voiced: if the Ukrainian side wishes, the conflict can be resolved at any time,” the press secretary noted.
The second part of the presidential talks was devoted to topical issues of bilateral relations and building co-operation in connection with a harsh pressure of the West and the United States, and a hybrid war unleashed against Russia and Belarus.
Conceptually, the Heads of State agreed on joint steps for mutual support in connection with the sanctions pressure, including on energy prices.
The issues of co-operation in industry and agriculture were discussed, as well as cargo transportation between the two states.
The Presidents paid much attention to development of the military-industrial complex and the Union State defence. In particular, supplies of the newest military equipment by Russia to Belarus in the near future were agreed upon. Belarus, in turn, will increase its supplies of modern agricultural and passenger vehicles, as well as other machine-building products.
The leaders also reached mutually beneficial agreements in the financial sphere.
“I would like to add that, as the President of Belarus stated after the talks, Russia has taken the most serious and unprecedented steps to support the economy of our country,” said Natalya Eismont.

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by
Photo by BELTA