On 29 May President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko held a meeting on the current social and economic issues facing the country.

According to the Head of State, there is nothing extremely urgent about this meeting. However, the situation in the world is not easy, and Belarus cannot remain inactive, he said. Therefore, it is crucially important to discuss the existing problems and see what the prospects are, taking into account these factors. The President said that governors, who are a key element of the country’s economy and politics, were invited to the meeting to raise questions which solution depends on the national authorities. The latter should give answers as to how to tackle these issues. ‘This is the main idea of the meeting,’ said the President.

At the beginning of the meeting Alexander Lukashenko reminded those present that on 28 May he had a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation. The President thinks that the Belarusian Government should not go bowing down before Russia.

The Head of State said, ‘I want to give you a personal warning, Sergei Sergeyevich Sidorsky, and to you, Pyotr Petrovich Prokopovich. Why? Because one of you comes to me and says how bad things in Russia are, that there is no progress there, and makes me put questions to the President of Russia and to Vladimir Putin and tell them that ‘they (in Russia) are not listening to us’. Let us agree with you on the following: today this time comes to an end, a new time is coming’.

‘If you can not make it in Russia, do not go bowing there; stop all this moaning and groaning and try your luck in another part of the world. I am saying this consciously and publicly. Yesterday we witnessed a curious situation when the President of Belarus was meeting with Vladimir Putin and discussing, in a most friendly environment, a variety of issues ranging from private to national. The discussion proceeds in a good way. At that moment, and before the beginning of the session of the Union State Council of Ministers, Alexei Kudrin (Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance of Russia) is giving a press-conference which aim is to create panic in Belarus. He fully consolidated with our ‘rogues’ who are yapping here for western money and teach us how to work,’ said Alexander Lukashenko. ‘If the Russian economy is that good, how come Russia's GDP has fallen by 10 per cent? Ours is a different economy, but we have achieved a 1.5 per cent GDP growth. That’s enough, Sergei Sergeyevich, of walking the trodden paths with the ministers in tow! There is a need for exploring new places where they do not know us, where they are waiting for us, and to trade – in ten tractors, one harvester, selling sugar by spoonfuls if necessary,’ he said.

By way of citing an example, the President pointed to the agreements reached with Kazakhstan regarding the selling of 40,000 tonnes of sugar to that country, and said the related contract had already been signed.

‘So what is the problem? Why are you trying to get to Russia where they are kicking you? Do not you understand that we have a situation now, and not for the first time, when they want to take us with their bare hands, for free? Yesterday Vladimir Putin said that when approaching Minsk they had discussed the situation with Kudrin. And then suddenly Kudrin poured out a tirade. You think it had not been coordinated beforehand? All that had been coordinated,’ said Alexander Lukashenko.

‘And it is not about South Ossetia, neither is it about Abkhazia. After all, this issue of recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is not for Russia to decide. This issue involves us and these states with which we have excellent contacts, and they know our tactics,’ said Alexander Lukashenko. The President stressed he had ‘answered this question long ago, and nobody, neither from the East, nor from the West, will be allowed to pressurise us on this issue’.

‘We are an independent sovereign country and will do everything in accordance with our interests,’ said the President of Belarus. ‘Hereby remember: no more pleading and imploring. If they do not have the $500 million that they long promised us, and so we planned our budget accordingly, do not go and beg. Let us build our economy and politics as a sovereign independent state. There are many ways we can influence the situation and respond to the challenges we are being made to face, including in Russia. Let us take them. When will we start thinking as public servants of an independent sovereign state? This game is a big one, mind you. If we hold out, we will have a state. If we fail to hold out, they will crash and pocket us for free; and then we will be running around and looking left and right to see whom to please so that they throw us a piece of bread from their table. It would seem like no big trouble if it concerned us only. But there are 10 million talented hard-working people behind us, whom we must not let down or betray,’ said Alexander Lukashenko.

On the economic situation in the country, Alexander Lukashenko harshly criticised the Government for their poor performance in implementing anti-crisis measures in the key economic sectors. In each sector, he said, there are at least 10-12 companies that work excellently. For example, in milk processing, 10 out of 58 companies are efficient. ‘So let the remaining 48 follow in their footsteps,’ said the Belarusian leader.