After the tragedy in St. Petersburg all problems have receded into the background, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with the Interstate Television and Radio Company Mir on 6 April, BelTA has learned.

The interview touched upon the recent meeting of the presidents of Belarus and Russia in St. Petersburg, and the terrorist attack which took place in the city.

Alexander Lukashenko remarked that, of course, the sides have done their preparations for the talks. “You know that there have been many contradictions, certain problems in the relations of Belarus and Russia. These were the matters of concern for me and for President Putin. All that was unpleasant, especially between our states,” he said.

“We are going for the meeting, and the terrorist attack takes place exactly at the same time. And all the problems that emerged, perhaps, several months before our meeting (we were determined to discuss those issues and cut the Gordian knot) have receded into the background. We have realized the true values in this life. All oil, gas and other disputes do not matter when a terrorist attacks happens just in front of you and when people whom we must protect are dying,” the President said.

The head of state emphasized that after the tragic events in the St. Petersburg metro the issues of security and defense have come to the forefront at the negotiations although they were expected to be the main issues on the agenda even before the talks. “Other mundane things have receded into the background. We have spent less time on the regulation of those issues. Security matters were in the spotlight,” he said. “We leaned a lesson back then, and it should be a lesson for everyone.”