Д.Медведев.Заявления для прессы.22.06.08.Part 1

Press Statements following Russian-Belarusian Talks.Part 1 June 22, 2008 Brest Заявления для прессы по итогам российско-белорусских переговоров. 22 июня 2008 года Брест DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Alexander Grigoryevich, colleagues, Our talks have just ended, but I wanted to begin with something else: today is a special day in our peoples history. June 22 is a very tragic page and at the same time it is a special page in the history of Russia and Belarus. I am in Brest for the first time. The feat of those who laid down their lives here for their Fatherland is truly unique, an act unprecedented in the history of humankind. The defence of the Brest Fortress will forever remain one of the glorious pages in our shared history. We bow our heads in memory of those who fell in the liberation of our Motherland. I see the Belarusian Presidents invitation to visit the Brest Fortress and the city of Brest as an opportunity to also pay tribute to the events that took place here many years ago. Regarding the relations between our countries, I can describe them in no other terms but those of strategic partnership based on the treaty establishing the Union State. All our relations are guided by the main development outlines that form the foundation of the agreements between us. We have reviewed our various cooperation projects and come to the conclusion that progress has been good overall. It is enough to look at the figures already given today. They speak for themselves. Our trade and economic cooperation continues to grow, and this is a good foundation on which to build up our cooperation in other areas too, social and economic and also political areas, all the more so as Russias development and that of Belarus are very closely tied together. The integration process that is based on our union treaty and the integration based on our other international agreements also benefits our countries and peoples. Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko and I agreed to continue to respect these agreements and continue enriching them with concrete substance. Making progress does not require us to set impossible goals. All we need to do is implement in full the agreements we already have. It is enough to build up a set of real, substantial and pragmatic projects and take the necessary economic and political measures and also the decisions that will ensure our common security, and we are committed to working in all these directions. Our talks today have shown that we have very similar views of the current situation and the future outlook for relations between our countries. Our relations are very close and friendly and we will do everything we can to ensure that they remain so. I would especially like to thank Alexander Grigoryevich for choosing Brest as the place for our first meeting. This is a symbol and a good sign. I hope that our future talks will bear evidence of the decisions that we have taken here today in Brest. Thank you for your attention. ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO: Dmitry Anatolyevich, friends, Continuing with Dmitry Anatolyevichs words about how more than fifty years have now passed since the events that took place here, I want to say, first of all, that so long as these symbols live on we will always be together and will always be unvanquished: herein lies the symbolism of Brest. Second, on a more personal note, I will not hide that I was watching Dmitry Anatolyevich, observing his reaction from the moment he stepped foot on this sacred ground. In his eyes and his behaviour I could see that he was thinking: good on the Belarusians for looking after this sacred site we share.