Opinions & Interviews

Putin tells BelTA how Belarus, Russia tackle issues with interests of both nations at heart

Photos courtesy of TASS

MINSK, 5 June (BelTA) – Belarus-Russia relations rely on interests of the two nations, this is why the leaders of Belarus and Russia have always been able to find answers even to the most complicated questions. President of Russia Vladimir Putin made the statement at a meeting with heads of international news agency in response to a question of BelTA Director General Irina Akulovich, BelTA has learned.

“You met Aleksandr Lukashenko at some point in the middle of the 1990s and you’ve known him for about 30 years. Mutual relations between our countries varied over the course of history. Nevertheless, you’ve always managed to find a solution to any security issues and economic problems. I’d like to ask you how easy or complicated things are for you now. And whether the European Union has leaders, with whom one can resolve complicated issues today,” Irina Akulovich told Vladimir Putin.

The Russian president responded by saying: “I’ve known the Belarus president for a long time. And indeed our relations varied at different points in time. But since fundamental interests of both nations – the Russian one and the Belarusian one – lie at the heart of the relations, we’ve always been able to rely on this fact and come up with solutions even for the most complicated issues that seemed not to have simple answers.”

Vladimir Putin remarked that this is why the work to build the Union State of Belarus and Russia originally started and continues now. “We manage to accomplish everything. We proceed from interests of our nations. We do it very calmly and accurately. We always look at our interests as we tackle any issue and make any steps in this direction,” he assured.

The Russian president stressed that the approach applies to economy, politics, including foreign policy, ecology, and culture. “When we turn towards the complex of everything that unites us, this complex always allows also resolving minor issues of probably complicated nature if they emerge. And due to this volume we always have things to do,” he added.

Vladimir Putin reminded that Belarus-Russia trade is close to $50 billion. “It is a decent figure. And these economic relations are very diversified,” he stated.

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