OREANDA-NEWS. September 15, 2009. Despite minor issues in the mutual relations Belarus and Russia have been and will stay the closest allies, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko told Lithuanian mass media in an interview.

According to the press service of the Belarus President, Alexander Lukashenko dispelled claims of a cooling in relations with Russia caused by Belarus’ aim for Europe. According to the President, such claims arise from the lack of factual knowledge about the state of things in Belarus’ relations with Europe and Russia.

“We have never had the kind of relations we have with the Russian Federation with any other country. Let’s consider any area: diplomacy, politics, economy. We have advanced furthest in relations with Russia in these areas. We are the closest allies,” stressed the President.

He remarked that there are sometimes “bumps for no reason at all but they are not objective”. The head of state said that the recent milk conflict with Russia was artificial. At present Belarus has no problem with supplying milk to Russia. After re-registration Belarus exports even more dairy titles to Russia.

“We have survived a lot of these conflicts. They are certainly exaggerated. They say that Lukashenko looks to the West because of the way Russia treats him. Not at all! In Russia there are complicated domestic political configurations and sometimes such ‘undercurrents’ resurface that even the Russian leadership do not always notice them in time. This is why do not think that we have bad relations with Russia,” stated Alexander Lukashenko. He also added that due to the deep manufacturing integration of the economies Belarus is forced to provide political support to relevant economic processes.

Speaking about the European vector, the President remarked that Belarus has always tried to have good relations with Europe. “We are not turning anywhere. Europe has just noticed Belarus. We have always aimed for good relations with Europe. Always!” the Belarus President made clear. “We cannot be tied to one country, the one that we hold dear. There is another factor – Europe, of which Belarus is the center. Can Europe exist without Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland in this conglomerate? It cannot”.

“What things do we have to quarrel about with Europe? We don’t like to be the dividing strip the way we usually do. We don’t want to be the barrier between the East and the West,” said the President. “I would like to have good relations with Russia, China, and other countries, and to have good relations with Europe. We are not on the outskirts. We are at the crossroads of all roads. We are in a situation destined to have good relations with Europe”.