Medvedev does not want to meet with Lukashenka

• 9.06.2009, 15:37

Russian president is not going to meet individually with Belarusian leader at the Collective Security Treaty Organization summit in Moscow.

It has been stated by Natalya Timakova, Russian president’s spokesperson, “Interfax” informs.

Timakova noted that Dmitry Medvedev does not plan to hold a bilateral meeting with Alyaksandr Lukashenka in the framework of the CSTO summit in Moscow.

“At present no bilateral meetings are planned during the CSTO summit, and a meeting with the Belarusian president hasn’t been planned either,” Timakova stated on Tuesday during a telephone press-conference.

As we have informed, recently relations between Belarus and Russia have take a turn for the worse. After exchange of critical remarks, Russia refused to grant the second tranche of loan to Belarus, $500 mln. In his turn, Lukashenka called actions of official Moscow “blackmailing”, stating that the Russian authorities demand Minsk to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The last episode in the aggravated relations was an import ban for 1,300 names of Belarusian milk products.

The Kremlin is not going to force other countries recognize independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and won’t comment statements of Lukashenka about alleged pressure on Minsk by Moscow, said Natalya Timakova.

“IN this respect Russia won’t exert any pressure on any countries concerning recognition,” the spokesperson is quoted by RIA Novosti as saying. “That is why we have no comments on these strange statements by Mr Lukashenka”.