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Lukashenko recalls his first speech in Russian Parliament

MOSCOW, 14 March (BelTA) - At the beginning of his speech in the Federation Council, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled his previous speech to Russian MPs a quarter of a century ago, BelTA learned.

“Our meeting is symbolic. 25 years ago, on 27 October 1999, on the eve of signing the Union State Treaty, I visited the State Duma and expressed my position on the treaty. At that time, the MPs supported very enthusiastically our work with the first president of Russia. I remember well how then I, still a ‘green’ president, persuaded your colleagues - experienced parliamentarians, people of Soviet upbringing - of the need for deeper integration of our countries. It was not easy at all. The political circles both in Belarus and Russia had different opinions about this idea,” the president said. “It was still a time of illusion and isolationist tendencies, free market economy, liberal values, and focus on the Western social model.”

According to the head of state, at that time, despite the declared end of the Cold War, the West was consistently, by inertia, implementing its multi-move strategy of breaking up what was left of the USSR. “But even then, eight years after the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Accords, it was obvious that going alone would be difficult both economically and politically. Almost impossible. We understood it back then” the president said.

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