Belarusian-Russian relations negatively affected by outbursts in mass media

The state secretary said: “If such a discussion in mass media proceeds in a constructive manner, it is not scary, it is normal, it only benefits the cause. The more attention like that there is, the better. But sometimes we see such disgruntled rhetoric that it affects the public opinion, which can easily slide into negative things. It is very difficult to restore positive attitudes later on. This is why we become hostage to the consequences of such mass media outbursts against each other. I believe it is an unpleasant phenomenon and we should do something about it.”

In turn, Ambassador of Russia to Belarus Dmitry Mezentsev stated that disputes exaggerated by mass media often overshadow the great scale of Belarus-Russia cooperation. “We should not pay attention to statements of unprincipled reporters, who are not prepared to foster rapprochement and the advancement of relations between the two countries with their publications,” he believes.

First Deputy Director General of the Russian news agency TASS Mikhail Gusman acted as the moderator of the discussion. He said he believes that most reporters do their jobs in good faith. “We have had solid ties with the leading Belarusian news agency BelTA for a long time, this is why we try to maintain the spirit of brotherly union relations that exists between our countries,” he stressed.