MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. The West set out to strangle Belarus and Russia, but failed, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.
"As for our relations, the main conclusion - I believe you will agree - is that the West has drawn up a plan to strangle us, first and foremost, in terms of the economy and finances. However, it did not work. They have admitted it themselves, so there is no need to even point that out," Lukashenko noted at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Belarusian leader, it was the right decision to preserve and develop the cooperation that existed during the Soviet era. "You have rightly said that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we bet on preserving and developing what we had. And this was the right move," Lukashenko stressed. "Today, we are working together in many areas, manufacturing goods, which are in high demand in Russia. Russia needs the goods we produce, from agriculture to microelectronics. You were right when you said this," he added.
The Belarusian president pointed out that earlier, the parties had agreed to boost forward-looking cooperation on many issues. "This is what we are doing now," he emphasized.