Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 17 October (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia face common threats and should overcome them together. The statement was made by Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of Russia Sergei Naryshkin after he met with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on 17 October, BelTA has learned.

Sergei Naryshkin said that he and Alexander Lukashenko had discussed interaction between Belarus’ KGB and Russia’s SVR. “We work in an atmosphere of trust, equality, and mutual interest. We are allies and are destined to work together,” stressed the official.

According to the SVR director, the Belarusian and Russian heads of state support this tight cooperation between the security services. “Our countries face common threats: international terrorism, cybercrimes, information warfare, unlawful sanctions. It is easier to overcome these threats together and that’s what we do,” stated Sergei Naryshkin.

The official noted that a joint session of the boards of the State Security Committee (KGB) of Belarus and the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia is scheduled to take place in Minsk today. “It is a unique format of interaction between the two security services of our countries. Russia does not maintain this kind of interaction with any other country or security service. It means our relations are full of trust,” he stressed.

Sergei Naryshkin noted that the international situation evolves fast and gets more and more complicated all the time. It affects the situation in Belarus and Russia to a degree. “There is a number of crisis phenomena in some parts of the planet, primarily the crises in the Middle East and North Africa. The fact certainly affects us. It drives us to cooperate even more closely,” said the SVR director.