The visit included both the official talks of the heads of state and informal communication, joint sightseeing of Kronstadt and a trip the monastery on the Island of Valaam.
However, Aleksandr Lukashenko had meetings not only with his Russian counterpart. The work of the head of state began from the first minutes on the fraternal Russian land. At the airport, he was greeted by the governors of Leningrad Oblast and the city of St. Petersburg. The head of state had brief but substantive conversations with everyone. There are a lot of working issues to discuss. By the way, last week, the president convened a government conference to discuss the use of Russian ports and development of Belarusian port infrastructure for transshipment of goods. St. Petersburg is the main hub for Belarus in this matter.
Why did the presidents decide to meet on Sunday?
The meeting of the leaders of the two countries was planned in advance. Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin decided to meet on Sunday, 23 July. There was nothing extraordinary or conspiratorial about that. It was convenient and the schedules of the presidents allowed it.
"Aleksandr Grigorievich, we are meeting today as agreed...", the Russian leader began the protocol part of the meeting.
The Belarusian president remarked: "We agreed on the meeting six months ago."
"It's true. That's right. We agreed about this a long time ago," Vladimir Putin noted. “We are meeting in St. Petersburg today. The weather is good. It is a Sunday afternoon, and we always have something to talk about.”
Immediately at the beginning of the talks, the heads of state announced their intention not to limit the meeting to one day, but to work together on 24 July in order to thoroughly consider the whole range of issues.
An interesting point: Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin came to the talks in Konstantinovsky Palace together. The Russian president was driving, and he picked the Belarusian head of state up on the way to the venue of the talks. This format is not new for the heads of state, they practiced it before. For example, in October 2018, Aleksandr Lukashenko invited Vladimir Putin to his hometown of Alexandria, Shklov District. Instead of the traditional executive class car the heads of state chose a modernized GAZ-69 from the 1960s. Aleksandr Lukashenko was driving.
What did the presidents discuss?
The open part of the talks on 23 July made headlines.
"At the start of the meeting I would like to note that our plans are being implemented at a better pace than expected,” the Russian leader said. “Our plans in terms of the Union State are being fully implemented. We are moving confidently in all areas. Trade is growing. Things are at least satisfactory. Of course, we will also talk about security issues in the region."
In his opening remarks, Aleksandr Lukashenko touched upon many issues, including the course of the special military operation and the successes of the Russian army, the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, NATO's military build-up in Poland, and the West's plans to dismember Ukraine. The story about the ‘tourist' aspirations of PMC Wagner that would not mind "going sightseeing" to Warsaw and Rzeszow made waves across the world.
Another important topic was the economic cooperation between Belarus and Russia. Aleksandr Lukashenko suggested instructing the government to draw up a long-term plan. “The point is self-reliance. We will not kowtow to anyone. We have got brains. Resources are more than enough. We need a plan for the development of our Fatherland. As I say: two states, one Fatherland. We can do it. The main forces have been here, in Russia, since old times. It will be good if our governments come up with such a plan," the head of state said.
"The economy is the foundation. If there is an economy, all other issues are solvable," the Belarusian leader stressed.
Why is the informal part of the meeting important?
The agenda of the official part of the meeting was extensive, but it did not last long. Quite quickly, the presidents moved on to the informal part. Nowadays, it is in this format that the most serious issues are discussed. This was the most important part of the visit.
The leaders of the countries talked on Sunday afternoon, on Monday, during a trip to Valaam, and even on the morning of Tuesday, 25 July, before the departure of Aleksandr Lukashenko to Belarus.
Officials responsible for different areas were on standby for a conference call. This is also a common practice. But for the most part, the presidents talked one-on-one.
Where did the presidents go?
Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin visited two islands. On Sunday, after the official part of the talks, they arrived in Kronstadt, which is located on the island of Kotlin in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, about 30km away from the center of St. Petersburg.
It was the idea of the Russian president to visit Kronstadt. This item emerged on the agenda a few days before the visit.
The heads of state first came to see the Island of Forts Museum and Historical Park. They were shown the main exhibit - the first Soviet nuclear submarine K-3 "Leninsky Komsomol". She was delivered to the Museum of Naval Glory in Kronstadt from Murmansk Oblast in the autumn of 2022.
Another point of the joint informal program of the presidents was a visit to the Stavropegic St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt, also known as the Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. This Orthodox church was the last and largest of the naval cathedrals built during the Russian Empire. It was built in 1903-1913. Since May 2013, it has been considered the main temple of the Russian Navy.
Kronstadt is a very symbolic place. The Museum of Naval Glory is partly still in the process of construction, but Aleksandr Lukashenko seemed to like it very much.
The following day the presidents went to the Valaam Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior, which is located on Valaam Island, Lake Ladoga, Republic of Karelia. The presidents went on a tour of the monastery and paid their respects to relics of Sergius and Herman, the founders of the Valaam Monastery in the Transfiguration of the Savior Cathedral.
The heads of state also went to the Saint Vladimir hermitage where the Vladimir Church is located.
The previous visit of the heads of state to Valaam Island happened in July 2019.
The Valaam Monastery is one of the most revered monasteries in Russia. The monastery attracts over 100,000 pilgrims and tourists every year.
Written by belta.by
