MINSK, January 31. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday he seeks to hash over information security issues with Russian President Vladimir Putin at their upcoming meeting.
"As for the upcoming meeting [with Vladimir Putin], we decided that we will seriously discuss this issue in the context of our bilateral relations where we can work together," the Belarusian leader told a meeting on information security, according to the BelTA news agency.
This issue was discussed during the phone conversation with Putin ahead of the meeting, he said, stressing that information security is one of priorities for the country.
"Let’s say directly: any war, no matter whether it is cold or moreover, hot, never begins without information pressure and confrontation," Lukashenko said. This issue will be addressed at the upcoming meeting of the Belarusian Security Council, he added.
The goal of Belarus is to defend its principles and improve the country’s image, the president said. "We should be able to counter media attacks against Belarus, especially in mass media," he stressed.
The Belarusian leader’s press service earlier reported that "Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin agreed to hold a meeting in the near future to discuss the implementation of the agreements reached at the previous talks in the Kremlin at the end of last year."