MOZYR REGION, 14 April (BelTA) – Russia is starting to understand the fallacy of trying to pressure Belarus, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko told media on 14 April.
“I think Russia understands that a most severe error has been made – the attempted pressure on Belarus. It is futile,” stressed the Belarus President. “I am convinced that the president of Russia is starting to understand it clearly”.
According to Alexander Lukashenko, he is likely to meet with Dmitry Medvedev in May at the earliest. “I talked to Dmitry Anatolyevich several times a while ago by phone and he told me plainly: it is time for us to meet, to talk, many issues, sometimes small ones, that we can resolve have piled up. I was all for it. At present the heads of the president administrations are working out the optimal time for the meeting. It may take place on the eve of the unofficial CIS summit in Moscow on 8 May, or maybe in late May-early June in Sochi like we usually meet,” said the head of state.
With his Russian counterpart the Belarus President intends to discuss prospects of Russian capital taking part in the corporization of Belarusian enterprises. In addition, the two presidents will discuss strategic matters of the development of the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. “I would like to clearly understand what Russia and Kazakhstan want from the Customs Union and what Belarus will get in that case. If Belarus gets provisos across the board, duties on oil, gas and so on, Belarus’ interest in such a union will be halved,” he said.
Apart from that Alexander Lukashenko intends to talk to Dmitry Medvedev to discuss the access of Belarusian products to the Russian Federation market. “In principle it is now totally clear that the blocking of our goods on the Russian market has led to very negative consequences for the Russians themselves,” remarked the Belarusian head of state.
Alexander Lukashenko underlined that Russia’s blocking Belarus is totally futile. Belarus has proved that it is capable of reaching into alternative markets and set up domestic enterprises to substitute imports. “Quarrelling with Russia is senseless. We don’t flirt with anyone. But if we start getting pushed and kicked, we find our luck in other parts of the planet,” remarked the President. Belarus can stop being dependant on Russia’s gas and oil supplies. “Our recent agreements with Venezuela testify to that,” added Alexander Lukashenko.
“It is important for the forthcoming meeting with the president of Russia to produce concrete results. It is no good when Russia introduces duties on oil exports to Belarus. Then, why we have to pay the oil duty while Kazakhstan, a country with oil surplus, doesn’t? Why the Belarusians are treated like that? I think the president of Russia understands that it has gone too far”.
“It is time to seriously talk about prospects of our relations with Russia,” concluded Alexander Lukashenko.
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