Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko discussed the development of relations between Moscow and Minsk News

These and other bilateral cooperation issues were discussed by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko on Friday. In the residence of the Russian leader near Moscow in Novo-Ogaryovo, their first personal meeting took place this year. It should be noted that in 2022 the heads of Russia and Belarus met seven times – five in a bilateral format and twice on the sidelines of the CSTO and CIS summits. “Dear Alexander Grigorievich! Thank you for agreeing to come,” greeted the President of Russia. “As if I couldn’t agree,” replied Alexander Lukashenko. “Thank you for inviting me to your home, it also creates a certain atmosphere.” However, the conversation was unprofessional at home. The Russian leader immediately outlined the main topics: “We will talk, of course, as usual, on the whole spectrum of our relations, this concerns security issues, military cooperation, but the basis of everything is the economy”.First – the results of the previous year. “I would like to note that trade turnover is growing: it reached a record high last year – more than 43 billion dollars,” the Russian president said. “And most importantly, and what makes me very happy, we are developing – we have, in principle, this work has been well done, but the opportunities in the field of cooperation, mainly industrial cooperation, are increasing”, he added.Trade turnover hit record high last year – over $43 billionThe leader of Belarus clarified that the trade figures are even higher if we take cooperation in a broader context. “Commodity turnover, goods and services turnover – you talked about goods turnover – last year we had an unprecedented figure of 50 billion dollars: approximately 44, as you said, in goods, and more services,” he noted. For example, Russian companies placed orders for IT products worth $300 million in Belarus, Lukashenko said. “And if you take Russian IT people, there are several billion dollars,” he noted. “So even here the quote-unquote ‘peace-loving’ countries failed to squeeze us so tightly that the best minds, as they put it, fled our countries. So import substitution, c that’s all – it’s moving forward.”Lukashenka has continued, and integration into the Union State is also progressing. “The 28 programs we have defined with you are already 80% complete,” he said. The Belarusian side, according to him, has fully fulfilled all the defense and security obligations it assumed three months ago. Microelectronics manufacturers of both countries have established contacts, and now Russia is waiting for products from Belarusian partners.In Belarus, the production of components for KAMAZ was launched, and their eternal competitor from the auto giant of Tatarstan, the Minsk MAZ plant, produces them. Thousands of components are produced in Belarus for the Russian MS-21 and Superjet-100 aircraft. “We have three factories: two military and one civilian. They used to repair, today they are already producing components and, as I have been informed by the government, they are ready to start production of the Su plane. -25, in my opinion, which shows itself well in Ukraine”, – said the President of Belarus. According to him, the republic’s aircraft factories are ready to produce Russian attack aircraft “with a small amount of appropriate technological support from the Russian Federation.” “That is to say, we are going deeper, we are doing everything to somehow overcome the artificially created barriers for us,” Lukashenko summed up.The conversation then continued behind closed doors. As Vladimir Putin announced at the start of the meeting, the presidents spent most of their time preparing for the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State, which will also be attended by members of the governments of both countries. It is scheduled for this spring.