The discussion touched upon the ongoing Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia. «As for the Forum of Regions and regional cooperation in general, especially in Russia, you know my main thesis: thanks to the regions, we preserved warm, friendly relations between Belarus and Russia,» the president said. He noted that during the term of Russia’s first president Boris Yeltsin, building bilateral relations was sometimes challenging. «Back then, the regions saved us [Belarus]. We had direct relations with them,» Aleksandr Lukashenko explained.

«This regional forum that we hold brings billions of rubles in concrete contracts to both us and you, Russians and Belarusians. We see each other and learn about each other’s capabilities. It is a great thing,» the Belarusian leader emphasized.