A meeting between Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Russian President Vladimir Putin took place in Sochi yesterday. TASS published the main points from their conversation.
Lukashenka thanked Putin for his assistance to the Belarusian economy. According to him, the money has not been thrown away. But whether there will be new help is not known, because this, according to Putin, is not the main thing.
“Alexander Grigorievich, you mentioned financial support. You are absolutely right, it is important, but far from being the main thing. The main thing is joint work on cooperation in the real sector of the economy.”
They also discussed the gas issue. Lukashenka says Belarus will make up for the reduction of Russian gas consumption with the help of the Astravets nuclear power plant. Besides, there are plans to build a second nitrogen plant in Hrodna.
They also touched on the roadmaps for integration. They were not signed in 2019 because they could not find consensus on oil, gas, tax policy and common currency. But they are being worked on. According to Lukashenka, there are six or seven maps left to be finalized. The others are ready to be signed.
The pandemic has not been forgotten. In February and March, Russia will supply new batches of its vaccine to Belarus. Lukashenka called it the best in the world. However, the country does not count on its eastern neighbor alone. Lukashenka has announced a Belarusian vaccine. And it will allegedly appear in the fall.
