Lukashenko thanks Naryshkin for info Russia's SVR regularly sends to Belarusian special services
MINSK. Oct 22 (Interfax) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko thanked Director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin at their meeting on Thursday for the information that the SVR has been regularly providing to the Belarusian special services.
"Thank you for the information that you have regularly been forwarding to our special services, as well as to me," the Belarusian state-run news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenko as saying at the meeting.
"Belarus takes" this information "seriously," he said.
"In connection with this, we have a great deal of joint work in this field, because, to be frank, we don't have many friends in this world, in this mad world, which has become even more insane due to the pandemic, etc. Everyone has an interest in us: in Russia and in Belarus. And we have to react. Therefore, I think that we'll agree on many things, on joint work for the benefit of our peoples," Lukashenko said.
Lukashenko also said he is glad to meet with Naryshkin.
"I've been watching and following [the situation] mainly on TV from the reports of your and my colleagues. The president of Russia has told me about you very often. [...] He has briefed me on the developments of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation in fields that are important to our relations and the construction of the Union State," he said.
Lukashenko believes that his meeting with Naryshkin "will cause some sort of explosion in the media, especially on the Internet."
"And we aren't keeping it a secret that the situation surrounding us isn't simple. I mean [the situation around] the Union State," Lukashenko said.