Baku, June 12 AZERTAC 

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear Aleksandr Grigoryevich. I am very glad to see you again – I am pleased with yet another meeting with you. We meet very often – in Baku, in Minsk and other places, and each time we find time to communicate and exchange views in order to add further dynamism to our relations. Belarus for us is a friendly and fraternal state. We very much value our relationship and are proud of what we have achieved in the areas of political cooperation and economic cooperation in a relatively short time. We see only positive dynamics in all areas.

Our relations are noted for sincerity, reliability and focus on the successful implementation of the tasks we set and our subordinates successfully implement. I am glad that you have found time to attend the opening of the First European Games. This event is significant for both Azerbaijan and Europe. I know that Belarus is represented by a strong team.

I wish your team every success and medals. We will root for the Azerbaijani and Belarusian teams together.

Welcome again!

Х Х Х

President Aleksandr Lukashenko said:

- Thank you, Ilham Heydarovich. First of all, I could not but come because I once, without even thinking about what would happen, expressed a wish – after all, we both are also leaders of the Olympic Committees – that we conduct such Olympic Games. There are such sporting events in Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, but there weren’t any in Europe. Therefore, frankly, I congratulate and envy you. Firstly, because the First European Games will be held in Baku. Secondly, I congratulate you on what has been done in the shortest possible time. You had only two years to prepare for these Games. Frankly, it would have been impossible if you hadn’t done anything before that. These European Games have given an impetus to the completion of all your projects – from the seaside boulevard to the sports facilities. In general, humongous work has been done. Well done! We had no doubt that it would be done, but the result has surpassed all our expectations. We are amazed. I told you this yesterday. Just great!

Baku is a wonderful city. Most importantly, we know of many cities where a lot has been built, but such a careful approach to adapting everything to these conditions certainly deserves great respect.

Therefore, I want to congratulate you again on what you did before the European Games. I am sure that your athletes will respond to that with great results. Even if you beat us in some sports where we expect to win, believe me, we will not be too frustrated because we are truly close to each other and we have a good basis of our relationship.

Thank you again for the invitation.