Russia stands for the sovereign choice made by the Belarusian people during the August 9 election and not the presidential figure per se, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow recognized re-elected Alexander Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2021) Russia stands for the sovereign choice made by the Belarusian people during the August 9 election and not the presidential figure per se, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow recognized re-elected Alexander Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus.
"The Russian side does not support personas, but the sovereign choice of the Belarusian nation, which was made during the presidential election on August 9, 2020. We recognize Alexander Lukashenko as the legally elected head of state," the Foreign Ministry said.
At the same time, it noted that the political structure in Belarus required some changes, and that Minsk has taken a course towards its government's modernization.
"As far as we understand, during the sixth All Belarusian People's Assembly, scheduled for February 11-12, key directions of the country's socio-economic and socio-political development will be discussed for the upcoming five-year period," the ministry added.
It added that the promotion of joint projects within the framework of the Union State of Russia and Belarus should not be subjected to conjunctural fluctuations.
"The joint work to promote various programs within the framework of the Union State did not stop, it is actively continuing. We are convinced that it should not be subject to conjunctural fluctuations since it meets the deep interests of the peoples of our fraternal countries," the ministry said.
The Treaty on the Creation of the Union State of Russia and Belarus was signed on December 8, 1999. In 2019, the two countries started working on a new integration plan, with 31 road maps in the works.
Belarus entered a prolonged political crisis after the August 9 presidential election, won by incumbent President Lukashenko. The opposition did not recognize the results, claiming that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, an opposition candidate, was the real winner.
