In a phone call, Putin wished Lukashenko a happy 66th birthday, according to a statement posted on the Kremlin’s official website.
The statement said the pair would meet in Moscow “in the coming weeks”, adding that they had agreed on “strengthening” relations and “expanding” cooperation between their countries.
The talks between the two leaders took place on Sunday as thousands of people took to the streets of the Belarusian capital to protest the results of the disputed August 9 election.
Belarusian Interior Ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodonova was quoted as saying 125 people had been arrested for taking part in Sunday’s pro-democracy protests, according to the Russian state news agency TAS.
Elsewhere in the city, a video broadcast by a local news outlet by TUT.BY shows at least eight armed tanks moving in a convoy.
The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) told CNN that 19 Belarusian journalists had their press licenses revoked on Saturday.
Journalists affected by the decision included staff from the BBC and the Associated Press (AP).
The head of the BBC’s communications, Charlotte Morgan, told CNN: “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the dominance of independent journalism.
“We urge the Belarusian authorities to rescind this decision and allow our journalists to continue their work,” Morgan added.
In a statement seen by CNN, the APA also condemned the “futile attack on press freedom” and called on the Belarussian government to reverse the move.
Deportation of journalists
The American news agency also said that two of its Moscow-based journalists who had recently staged protests in Belarus were sent to Russia on Saturday.
The deportation comes just days after Belarusian authorities detained about 50 journalists, according to the BAJ.
Responding to the arrest, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabe said on Twitter on Friday: “I condemn the detention of more than 500 journalists in Belarus last night, including six BBC, local and international media outlets.”
All but four of the detained journalists who refused to hand over their phones were later released.
The European Union will allow many officials in Belarus to play a role in their alleged “fraudulent” presidential election and subsequent intervention in opposition, according to Joseph Borrell, the country’s top foreign affairs official.
“The position will include individuals at a higher political level,” Borrell said Friday.
He added, “We once again express our full support for the sovereignty and independence of Belarus and condemn the violent repression of the Belarusian people.”
The report is contributed by CNN’s James Frater.
.
