The Belorussian opposition is engaged on Saturday in unauthorized protests in the heart of Minsk against further integration of Russia and Belarus
MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2019) The Belorussian opposition is engaged on Saturday in unauthorized protests in the heart of Minsk against further integration of Russia and Belarus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting with his Belarus counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, in the Russian city of Sochi on Saturday to discuss several issues of Russia-Belarus relations, including road maps for further integration between two countries.
One of the protests, organized by Svezhiy Veter advocacy, involves people making a human chain along Independence Avenue, from the Central Post Office to the Belarusian State Circus. Several such chains are currently standing along the avenue. The police are monitoring the event. One of the officers asked the protesters to disperse as they could be held liable per the country's law.
Another unauthorized event is taking place on October Square, near the Palace of the Republic, where several hundred people gathered with a traditional white-red-white flag, and also flags of the European Union. the participants are voicing slogans such as "Long Live Belarus," and "Independence." The police are present but no one is being detained. Then participants claim to be staying until the evening. The event is coordinated by Paval Sieviaryniec, co-leader of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party.
On December 8, Moscow and Minsk will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Treaty on the Creation of a Union State of Russia and Belarus. Lukashenko offered to adopt plans for a stronger integration. At the same time, he stressed that he would not sign anything unless several key issues, such as economic ones, were not resolved, including the issue of energy supplies and lifting trade barriers.
