The unresolved issues in the economy and other areas should not have an impact on the security matters of Belarus and Russia, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev on 21 June, BelTA has learnt.

“The security councils of Belarus and Russia have settled many issues, but there are still unresolved problems. We have to admit it. No matter how our economic relations and cooperation in other areas proceed, the matters related to the security of our states, the Union State have long been settled and everybody should take it seriously. Of course, today everything is interconnected,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

At the same time, the Belarusian President underlined that “here, on the western borders, Russian people can find reliable support and friends no matter what the circumstances are.”

“I think we should do our utmost to show the people of Belarus and Russia that we are developing very close cooperation in security and defense,” the Belarusian President said. He noted that if civil government bodies of the two countries had followed the example of the interior and defense ministries, there would not have been any problems.

The head of state invited Nikolai Patrushev to discuss all the matters openly and outline possible solutions.

Nikolai Patrushev, in turn, noted: “We are determined to develop cooperation. We are aware of the present day challenges and threats.” He underlined that the two countries should jointly prevent, foresee and localize these threats.

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