15 may 2012

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev meets with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko

Participants:
The Prime Minister said he is sure that the integration processes that both the Belarusian president and he have been involved with in recent years will bear fruit for the development of their two countries and peoples.

Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Dmitry Medvedev: Mr Lukashenko, welcome. This is our first meeting since I have taken up my new post. But I’m sure we will have many occasions to continue our personal contacts in order to strengthen and develop Russian-Belarusian relations for the benefit of both our peoples; in order to see the integration processes that we have been involved with in recent years bear fruit for the development of our countries and our peoples. So I am pleased to welcome you and to meet with you in my new role. This is my first meeting as prime minister with the head of a friendly state.

Alexander Lukashenko: Mr Medvedev, first of all I want to congratulate you on becoming prime minister. We discussed this subject at a CSTO meeting behind closed doors following my proposal. I said that it doesn’t make much difference whether President Putin is prime minister or Dmitry Medvedev becomes prime minister after his presidency, because the enormous nation of Russia faces so many challenges that it is difficult to divide prime minister from president…The fact that you are attending the G8 summit also confirms this, as this seems to be a presidential authority, but the prime minister is attending to these matters. So I congratulate you on your new job. It appears that little is going to change in your life: the burden…  

Dmitry Medvedev: Surely the burden won’t be any less.

Alexander Lukashenko: … and the range of tasks will be a bit broader.  

First, I want to thank you for all you have done for Belarusians and Russians as president, but not only them. Heads of states have just discussed how, thanks to the Russian Federation, over the past four years we have achieved very good results in terms of integration. We discussed this behind closed doors, perhaps…

Dmitry Medvedev: That’s true.

Alexander Lukashenko: Your resolve, even your ability to take risks in order to solve the issue have resulted in very advanced levels of integration in the post-Soviet space; we have the most advanced integration – both in the CSTO, in the political bloc and in the Eurasian Economic Community, and now in the Customs Union and in the Common Economic Space, which is respected even by our enemies.

This is an important achievement. The credit for Russia being able to take these steps goes largely to you, and I’m not alone in saying this. I want to simply wish you success on behalf of the Belarusian people, of my country in general. I hope that we will always cooperate constructively and that our meetings will be productive.  

Dmitry Medvedev: I’m sure of this, Mr Lukashenko. Thank you very much for your congratulations.