Direct farm produce supplies to Russia in Minsk's interests - Putin
MINSK. June 8 (Interfax) - Belarus would gain much by supplying farm produce to Russia directly rather in transit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"Here we want to have apples, other farm produce, meat, milk produced in Belarus, and not shipped via Belarus in transit," he said at the Russia-Belarus inter-regional forum in Minsk.
This is "in the interests of Belarusian producers," he said.
Putin said he hoped the issue had been discussed in detail during the forum.
"At government level I expect means will be found to resolve all the issues we have talked about today," he said.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in turn, called Putin's words the "right rebuke" for Belarusian farmers.
"Let's indeed take advantage of this. I'll even reveal a little secret: during a closed non-public meeting [Putin] said let's finance those gardens in Belarus. If there is the possibility, allow your best farmers to produce apples and whatnot, even bananas and sell them in Russia," Lukashenko said.
"I support that position of the president. It is the absolute correct approach in this respect," the Belarusian leader said.