Meeting with Chairwoman of Federation Council of Federal Assembly of Russia Valentina Matviyenko

Thanks to direct cooperation between the regions, Belarus and Russia have preserved warm and friendly relations, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a meeting with Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia Valentina Matviyenko in Minsk on 25 June.

Valentina Matviyenko's visit to Minsk is connected with the ongoing 13th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia, whose main organizers traditionally are the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia. These bodies provide parliamentary support for the development and strengthening of interregional cooperation between the two countries. Therefore, the meeting with the head of state was also attended by Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova.

Warmly greeting the guests, the President turned to Valentina Matviyenko with a smile and asked: "Are you making peace with your sister?"

"That is an understatement. Over these years we have become like one whole, inseparable. Siamese twins," the chairwoman of the Federation Council replied, following the tone of the conversation.

"As for the Forum of Regions and regional cooperation in general, especially in Russia, you know my main thesis: thanks to the regions, we preserved warm, friendly relations between Belarus and Russia," the President said. He noted that during the term of Russia's first President Boris Yeltsin, building bilateral relations was sometimes challenging. "Back then, the regions saved us [Belarus]. We had direct relations with them," Aleksandr Lukashenko explained.

"This regional forum that we hold brings billions of rubles in concrete contracts to both us and you, Russians and Belarusians. We see each other and learn about each other's capabilities. It is a great thing," the Belarusian leader emphasized.

Aleksandr Lukashenko expressed his appreciation for the fact that the Council of the Republic and the Federation Council are also working to strengthen interregional cooperation. "I am glad that you have taken under your patronage the key link in our relations, regional cooperation. Nothing can compare with it. It is on par with security issues, which are now extremely relevant for both Belarus and Russia," the head of state stressed.

"I am very grateful to you for this. And indeed, we place quite a lot on these women's shoulders," the President said. "I tell Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin]: at least there is something we can shift onto these women's shoulders."

"Not just something, you shift quite a lot," Valentina Matviyenko replied with a touch of humor. "But they [women's shoulders] are reliable, that is true."

Aleksandr Lukashenko thanked the chairwoman of the Federation Council for her visit to Belarus: "Thank you for coming and finding the time. I think you won't regret it: you will see how this brotherly land, which is not foreign to you, lives, how we deal with the problems that both you and we have plenty of. Times are crazy now: everything is spinning so fast that sometimes you don't have time to look around."

"Russia and Belarus - they are, as I say, our common Fatherland. It is not our fault that we have two states here. But these are very friendly, fraternal states. I think there is no force that could destroy this unity," the Belarusian leader said.

"Although there are plenty of those who wish to do so," Valentina Matviyenko remarked in response.

"There are very many," Aleksandr Lukashenko concurred. "But I am confident (and I said this recently to representatives of Zelensky) that our peoples will be together anyway. Sooner or later, we will still be together. How could it be otherwise? Your relatives are buried in Ukraine. Today you work for the benefit not only of Russia, but also of Belarus, and not against Ukraine itself. How can all this be torn apart? It is impossible. Our people live there, they have always lived together and been friends. And they will continue to be friends."

"Time will pass, we will get our heads straight and restore our relations. I am absolutely convinced of this. And in this regard, you can count on Belarus," the President said.

In turn, Valentina Matviyenko thanked the Belarusian leader for the opportunity to meet: "For me, it is always a great joy and honor. Thank you for finding the time."

She also expressed her appreciation to the leaders of Belarus and Russia for actively and energetically supporting interregional cooperation, which "over the years has become the framework of the Union State". "And the broader and stronger these ties become, the ties between our people, the more reliable our union is," Valentina Matviyenko emphasized.