Lukashenka to Putin at CIS summit: “Your are no longer my colleague” (Video)
- 23.05.2008, 17:04
During the meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin which has taken place today during the CIS countries Prime Minister Council, Alyaksandr Lukashenka was no slow to observe that Putin is no longer a president of Russia.
At the meeting touching upon the meeting of CIS countries Prime Minister Council, Alyaksandr Lukashenka noted that “there are many problems, questions, and they proceed from the tasks the Council of the CIS heads set for heads of governments”.
“These missions were set by the Prime Minister Council, previously headed by you, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin],” Lukashenka noted.
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As said by the Belarusian president, “constructive discussion is under way. He noted that a good decision was once taken to dedicate each year to addressing one particular global problem within the CIS. This year was declared the year of transport, the next one – the year of energy.
Lukashenka has noted that at the meeting of CIS countries Prime Ministers issues of food supply security were discussed as well. “It’s a challenge for all of us today,” he believes.
As believed by Lukashenka, “there are no major problems in Russian-Belarusian relations”. “Now it’s high time to take more serious decisions,” he said.
Lukashenka expressed gratitude to Putin for his visit. “Thank you for coming, thank you for the meeting. I cannot get used for your not being my colleague any more,” Lukashenka said.
In his turn, Putin noted that he was pleased to meet with Lukashenka, “to talk about the current problems and look into the future”.
He has emphasized that today economies of the two states should be competitive, and offered Lukashenka to discuss bilateral relations in such spheres as energy, transport, communications and military cooperation.
Putin preferred Alyaksandr Lukashenka to Yulia Tymoshenko
Today a regular the session of the CIS Council of Heads of Governments takes place in Minsk. Russian Prime Minister has only one bilateral meeting on his schedule, a meeting with Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
It has been informed by members of the Russian delegations taking part in the session of the CIS Council of the Heads of Governments, UNIAN agency reports.
No other meetings have been agreed upon by the Prime Minister of Russian.
As we have informed, earlier it was reported that a bilateral meeting of Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Vladimir Putin was to take place. Prime Ministers of other countries applied for a meeting with him as well.
Lukashenka wants to recover and sell other’s energy resources
Addressing the session of the CIS Council of the Heads of Governments on May 23, the Belarusian leader argued against liquidation of the CIS: “Our nations demand active moves from us, and not a liquidation of the CIS. It depends on our ability to find understanding, whether the CIS will have a second breath”.
Russia plays a special role in that, Lukashenka said. “It has become a natural locomotive of integration. Realization of many tasks and projects depends aimed at strengthening economies of our countries, increase of living standards of our common people depend principally on the position of Russia with its human, territorial, economical potential and resources”.
Lukashenka has also noted that Belarus treats national interests of countries exporting energy resources with respect, “but organizing joint activities on recovering, processing, export of gas, oil and electrical power would be highly reasonable. And we are open to discuss all projects which won’t drive a wedge between neighbours, but would underpin common energy security”.
Increasing transportation of energy resources is an important way of mutually beneficial utilization of the CIS transit potential, A. Lukashenka said. This observation could have been an answer to the statement of Russian Prime Minister Putin about a necessity to realize the project of the oil pipeline BTS-2 bypassing Belarus.
Prime Ministers of 8 countries have arrived to Minsk to take part in the session of the CIS Council of Heads of Governments (Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan). Three countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) are represented by Vice Prime Ministers.