Moscow
Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Conversation with Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich
Dmitry Medvedev: Mr Myasnikovich, I’m pleased to see you. We’ve agreed to meet, although I’ll be coming to visit you very soon.
Mikhail Myasnikovich: On May 31.
Dmitry Medvedev: Yes. That said, we have a large agenda that requires regular contact. So we’ll discuss all aspects of Russian-Belarusian socioeconomic cooperation on the eve of our next meeting. I will not mention all of the items of our agenda – they concern, of course, a regular meeting of the Union State Council of Ministers, our joint investment projects and some of the ideas we discussed during our consultations with Mr Lukashenko (Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko) when he came to Moscow. We’ll be sure to talk about our prospects in a wide variety of areas.
In general, I’d like to say that the past year was fairly good in terms of our relations. Our trade reached $45 billion – this is probably a record in the entire history of our relations.
Mikhail Myasnikovich: Yes.
Dmitry Medvedev: Things are more complicated this year but on the whole we have opportunities for promoting our cooperation and preserving our positive gains of the last few years. It is with this that I associate your visit. Welcome!
Mikhail Myasnikovich: Thank you very much for this opportunity to meet. We in Belarus also think that our relations with Russia are rapidly developing. But life does not stand still and new approaches are required. I think we’ll discuss them today. I’m primarily referring to joint projects and new areas of activity, including in the high-tech sphere. And of course, we’ll speak about current issues. Our ministers and experts have worked on them, but the prime ministers must put the final point on them, or at least agree about logical solutions on different projects. So thank you very much.
Dmitry Medvedev: I think this is our responsibility.
Mikhail Myasnikovich: I agree. I’d also like to use this opportunity to congratulate you. Today marks exactly a year since you’ve been the Prime Minister.
Dmitry Medvedev: It’s been more than a year – I took this position on May 8. But you’re right – the Government was formed a year ago. So thank you very much. Let’s continue our work. Let’s talk.
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