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Crisis in Belarus

Lukashenko assures Minsk-Moscow ties strong, solutions can always be found

The Belarusian leader stressed that in building their relationship, Belarus and Russia by no means tried to antagonize others

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Nikolai Petrov/BelTA/TASS

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko

© Nikolai Petrov/BelTA/TASS

MINSK, May 13. /TASS/. Belarus and Russia share a closely-knit and solid relationship in all spheres of cooperation and will always manage to find solutions to their mutual advantage, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday while receiving credentials from foreign ambassadors, including Russian Ambassador Yevgeny Lukyanov.

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"There is no sphere where our countries do not have closely-knit and solid ties," the Belarusian news agency BelTa quotes Lukashenko as saying. "I believe that Belarus and Russia have reserves virtually in all fields of cooperation. It is from these positions that we look into the future."

"Our countries have always achieved mutually acceptable solutions, and I am certain that this will continue in the future," the Belarusian leader stressed.

Lukashenko recalled that Russia accounted for about half of Belarusian foreign trade.

"A dialogue is in progress on deepening our integration with the aim of creating a level playing field for all economic entities and making better use of new opportunities for cooperation. May our relations with Russia not worry anyone."

He stressed that in building their relationship, Belarus and Russia by no means tried to antagonize others.

"But should somebody dare challenge us - Russia, or Belarus, or Russia and Belarus together, you must know that we will retaliate," Lukashenko cautioned.

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