{"id":497000,"date":"2025-11-17T13:40:47","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T10:40:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reform.news\/?p=497000"},"modified":"2025-11-17T15:44:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T12:44:21","slug":"lukashenka-to-gryzlov-for-us-the-main-thing-is-not-rossotrudnichestvo-events-but-the-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/lukashenka-to-gryzlov-for-us-the-main-thing-is-not-rossotrudnichestvo-events-but-the-economy","title":{"rendered":"Lukashenka to Gryzlov: For us the main thing is not \u201cRossotrudnichestvo\u201d events, but the economy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Alyaksandr Lukashenka<\/strong>, during a meeting with the governor of Russia\u2019s Rostov Oblast, Yury Slyusar<\/strong>, assured him that no one will be able to break the unity between Minsk and Moscow. At the same time, he took a jab at Russia\u2019s \u201csoft power\u201d structures, directing a criticism at the Russian ambassador to Belarus, Boris Gryzlov<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

According to Lukashenka, Belarus\u2013Russia relations are based on many factors \u2014 cultural and historical ties, interpersonal contacts \u2014 but the main one should be the economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoris Vyacheslavovich, I tell you this out of old friendship. Boris Vyacheslavovich, the main thing for us is not to walk around here with \u2018Rossotrudnichestvo,\u2019 campaigning for Russia. No need. Belarusians don\u2019t need to be persuaded to support Russia. What we need is to bind our states and peoples economically,\u201d<\/i> he said, according to his press service.<\/p>\n

As an example of such \u201ceconomic\u201d persuasion, he mentioned the increase in the number of *Lastochka* trains running between the capitals of Belarus and Russia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI give him an example: he added one more *Lastochka* from Moscow to Minsk \u2014 and you couldn\u2019t get a seat on the old routes or the new ones. Crowds of people. They go to Moscow, they go to Russia. These crazed people closed the border to the West. Fine \u2014 our people used to go to St. Petersburg, to Moscow, and now they go\u2026 yesterday there was a hockey match \u2014 well, sorry, it happened that we won against Ak Bars \u2014 so people went to Kazan from Minsk as if to their own home. No one stops them. That\u2019s why planes, trains, bus routes are in huge demand. And Russians want to visit Belarus. Russians take first place in filling tourist facilities and hotels. And even though healthcare in Russia is at a high level, and used to be the same as ours, they still come to Belarus. We welcome this,\u201d<\/i> Lukashenka added.<\/p>\n

He also emphasized that he regularly tells Russian president Vladimir Putin about his meetings with governors.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m saying this because I tell Vladimir Vladimirovich about contacts with governors all the time, so that Boris Vyacheslavovich won\u2019t get jealous \u2014 and then on Saturday, Yury from Rostov will come. \u2018Ah, yes, yes, I know,\u2019 he says, \u2018a tech guy,\u2019 that\u2019s what he called him. So we have full support. And I\u2019m meeting with you because\u2026 I understand what a governor means in Russia, and I want to advance our relations. And I\u2019m counting on you. We need Rostov. The trust is very high,\u201d<\/i> he said.<\/p>\n

Lukashenka quickly added that Belarus and Russia cannot be separated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe external pressure is enormous. I won\u2019t name addresses, passwords, or details. You know them well. So we must hold on to what we have. Belarus and Russia have been together and will be. No one will be able to tear apart our unity, no matter how much someone might want to. People, our nations, won\u2019t allow it. We need to endure this, we need to hold on. That\u2019s the main thing,\u201d<\/i> he said.<\/p>\n

During the meeting, Lukashenka also raised his usual topics of cooperation with Russian regions: food supplies, industrial cooperation, and so on. He also used the occasion to make statements about building a second nuclear power plant, as well as about relations with Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.<\/p>\n