Meeting with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko presented the Order of Friendship of Peoples to Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov in Minsk on 25 August.

The ceremony took place during the meeting between the Belarusian head of state and the Russian first deputy prime minister at the Palace of Independence.

Denis Manturov received the award in recognition of his major personal contribution to boosting trade, economic, industrial, and military-technical ties between the two countries, as well as strengthening the technological sovereignty of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.

"The award always carries a political element and serves as a token of future expectations," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

In this regard, the President noted that Denis Manturov now "has no choice" but to keep driving the joint Union State agenda in the right direction.

"I will meet with the Russian prime minister in the near future. I will also meet with the President of Russia to discuss the issues that we will not be able to agree upon [with the first deputy prime minister]," the Belarusian President noted.

He thanked Denis Manturov for his support of Belarus in key areas of industry. "I appreciate that following your tour of some of our enterprises, you stepped in to support Belarus in two areas: automotive production and, most importantly, the aircraft project. There are certain misunderstandings there, but I believe we can discuss them now to keep the Osvey project on track. It is needed in our common market. Obviously, it will serve Russia well, while for Belarus, it means gaining new competencies. As you know, we already do repairs of various aircraft, so we aren't starting from the ground up. With the help of the Russians, we could start a new sector," the head of state said.

The head of state emphasized that the country set its course toward partnership with Russia long ago and remains deeply committed to it, considering it an honor. Consequently, he urged against any concerns regarding Russian support and the respective economic policies. Furthermore, Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that this collaboration extends far beyond the industrial sector.

"Though the manufacturing sector is the foundation of any economy. Both for you and for us. We are an export-oriented country. You have both enormous export and domestic dimensions. So let us move forward in this direction. We are ready for this," the President urged.