10 Jan 2019 14:03

Lukashenko: Practically all problems in Belarus-Russia relations solved in acceptable way

MINSK. Jan 10 (Interfax) - Almost all problems in relations with Russia have been solved, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

"Practically all problems in relations between the [two] countries have been solved in a more or less acceptable way," the state-run news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenko as saying on Thursday.

"There are some minor issues we keep telling Russians about: the delivery of our agricultural, food, and other products to markets of the Russian Federation. But they are not critical," Lukashenko said.

He said he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin "to address these shameful issues so that they are never raised again at our summit talks."

Some problems remain in motor transportation between Belarus and Russia, Lukashenko said, adding that Belarus had worse transportation conditions than Poland and Lithuania.

"There has been a lot of fuss about the policy of those countries towards Russia, there has also been a lot of talk about the Union State and the EAEU, but elementary problems remain unsolved. The Russian president and I have described them as matters that do not deserve to be discussed by the presidents and as a disgrace for Belarus-Russia relations. Of course, they need to be solved, and this is an elementary thing to do," Lukashenko said.

Lukashenko and Putin twice met in Moscow at the end of 2018, on December 25 and 29, to discuss gas pricing, the operation of Belarusian oil refineries amid Russia's "tax maneuver," and the delivery of Belarusian food to the Russian market.