Video: Armen Sarkissian Meets with Alexander Lukashenko

Today, a meeting took place in Minsk between the President of the Republic of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, and the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. Lukashenko welcomed President Sarkissian's visit to Belarus and noted that it had previously been agreed that Sarkissian would visit Belarus to familiarize himself with the country's opportunities.

“I followed your visit on television and noticed that you haven't forgotten what we discussed, and you want to see more significant places from the perspective of the development of Belarus's economy. I followed your meetings with our representatives in the information technology sector and understood that you are keeping in mind the issues that are important for Armenia's development. In this regard, I want to assure you, as I did last time, that there are absolutely no closed topics with Armenia. We are always ready to open doors for you. I believe you were convinced of this during your visit,” Lukashenko stated.

He informed that prior to the meeting, he had a phone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. “He called me before his visit to Singapore and asked me to convey his regards to the president, to which I replied that we do not intend to rush him back to Armenia, especially since he is engaged in important matters for Armenia. I shared information about your visit. He said that, of course, this is good. I must really say, do not hurry to return; look at everything that interests you regarding the development of the economy - agriculture, industry. You are an intelligent, smart, and practical person; you know what to see and what is important and beneficial for Armenia,” the Belarusian president added.

Speaking about the cooperation between the two countries, President Lukashenko said, “Today, although we do not have large trade turnover, an annual $50 million is not a bad dynamic compared to previous figures. We have very warm relations with many representatives from Armenia. You know my friends in Armenia who are investing in Belarus, and I am very grateful for that. I have a rule: friendship is friendship, but the state is separate. And when I was approached regarding the supply of certain goods, I said that the principle is as follows: you come to Belarus, start production, create jobs, make investments, please... Gagik Tsarukyan's company is a successful enterprise. We have organized the work of the Armenian-Belarusian Trade House, and as I have been informed, 30-40 percent of the trade turnover between Belarus and Armenia is conducted through it. In other words, we have already established joint enterprises and are ready to continue down this path.”

Noting the warm attitude towards Armenians in Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko said, “We have always had good relations with Armenians and continue to do so today. Therefore, you can be at ease, despite various opinions emerging both in Armenia and Belarus, and we are criticized for certain things. I consider this natural, but what is important is that we are allies, operating from the same positions. In fact, we do not even have differing views on the international agenda.”

President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian expressed gratitude for the significant event, the invitation to participate in the closing ceremony of the European Games, stating, “I am greatly impressed by both the scale of the event and the organization and discipline. Belarus continues to be considered a champion in clear directions in the post-Soviet space. What I saw—the organization, the discipline—is impressive. I really liked that Belarus is ahead of many countries in understanding that in the future, in the 21st century, reality and virtual reality will complement each other. I was also pleased to note that Armenian athletes performed honorably. I want to congratulate all participants, the Belarusian team, which performed wonderfully, and our athletes who had excellent performances. I believe Belarus is ready to organize larger-scale events. You have a vision and wisdom to look toward the future. It is difficult to build the present without a vision for the future.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, President Sarkissian congratulated Alexander Lukashenko and the entire people of Belarus on the upcoming National Holiday, Belarus's Independence Day, celebrated on July 3, and the 75th anniversary of the liberation from fascism.