At the start of the meeting, Alexander Bastrykin presented the Belarusian president with the 80 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945 medal.

“This war was won by the entire Soviet people. Belarusians made a huge contribution to this Victory,” the chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia said.

“For me you are not just an experienced, knowledgeable, intelligent, talented, and highly-educated person. You are a person with whom any issue can be discussed. You are very open and sincere. Forgive my immodesty but I must say that I have something of that nature, too. That is why in our conversations we do not hide any problems and openly discuss them, even if someone, perhaps, does not like them. I really appreciate that,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The president expressed special gratitude for the absolute openness of Russian investigators in cooperation with the Investigative Committee of Belarus.

“I am not saying this for a protocol meeting. You are truly helping us on all issues. No matter what question we ask, you always respond and assist. This means a lot. If we had such interaction with all other agencies of Russia, we would have no problems at all. You are a great example for public officials in both Russia and Belarus,” the head of state said.

The previous meeting of the Belarusian president with Alexander Bastrykin took place in December 2024. Then, Aleksandr Lukashenko was awarded the Medal for Loyalty to Duty on behalf of the team of the Investigative Committee of Russia.

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