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President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: It is a tradition among good friends to get together to round up the year’s results.

I think that today, you and I can discuss how the year has gone. It has been a busy year, and in some ways a difficult year.

At the same time, looking at the way cooperation between Russia and Belarus has developed, the year has been not bad. We have seen steady trade growth and in principle have taken the needed decisions. Even with the financial crisis that has affected the global financial system, we continue to work together and find solutions to the problems encountered. So, I think that as far as Russian-Belarusian relations are concerned, we can see in the New Year in a good mood.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko: Dmitry Anatolyevich, I totally agree with you in that this year has not been easy but it has been productive for our countries. We have indeed obtained good economic results and we have not had any problems in other sectors.

Of course, as practically everyone in Russia has pointed out, and rightly so, the current situation unfolding in the world was not of our making, but has come from outside to both Russia and Belarus. Were it possible to maintain stability in the world, five years, even less perhaps in Russia’s case, it would have been enough for us to build for ourselves a really solid base. But now the crisis will likely affect economic growth rates in Russia and in Belarus, and we do not hide this.

Dmitry Medvedev: We do not hide it either. What is there to hide? This is an objective fact.

Alexander Lukashenko: But as people have very rightly said in Europe and America too, no one can get through this crisis alone, and so I fully agree with you that we do have matters to discuss.

I also want to publicly dispel the various insinuations that have sounded of late on the lines that Belarus is practically crawling on its knees to the Kremlin to ask for favours. I want to make it clear from the outset that we have no intention of asking for anything. I want to remind some of you that Belarus was the Soviet Union’s assembly plant and it performs the same work today in cooperation with Russia. We always purchase components and resources from Russia. If the Belarusian economy were to come to a halt today, it would leave a further 10 million people in Russia partially or completely without work, because the enterprises from which we buy the components and so on would also come to a halt. I think this would not be in Russia’s interest, and it certainly would not be in Belarus’ interest. In this respect, we really do want support from the Russian Federation, because this is in the interests of Russia and of Belarus.

As for the subjects on the agenda today, the journalists are absolutely right that Russia also has matters to raise with Belarus. I want to say right from the start that I do not think we have any real problems, any issues on either side. I am sure that we are able to resolve any issues before us, because from our point of view, there are no problem issues.

I want to say once again, Dmitry Anatolyevich, that Russia has always had an interest in seeing things go well in Belarus and building good relations, and we are ready to work in this direction. Russia is our strategic partner, and it is also more than this; it is our Russia, our fraternal country. Whether others may like it or not, this is our position and we will not change it, because that’s how the Belarusian people feels. Even if I did not want to follow this policy I would still be forced to do so, though you know very well my attitude towards the Russian Federation.

Dmitry Medvedev: We share the same point of view, Alexander Grigoryevich. We consider Belarus our key partner, our strategic partner, and this says everything. Problems come up in cooperation between any countries, even countries as close and brotherly as Russia and Belarus, but we meet precisely in order to settle them. This is our constitutional obligation as presidents. It is our duty to meet, discuss, and take decisions that will bring mutual benefit and that are acceptable to our peoples.

This is the position I base myself on.

Alexander Lukashenko: Thank you.