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Of: TT
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Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev / AP / TT
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Misjustin. Stock Photography.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Misjustin will visit the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on Thursday. This according to information from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who received his Belarusian colleague Vladimir Makei in Moscow on Wednesday.
The trip to Minsk comes at a time when the authoritarian Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, is being strongly questioned. The country has been rocked by protests critical of the regime and demands for Lukashenko’s resignation since the disputed August 9 elections. The election has been condemned as rigged by the opposition and much of the world, but Russia has expressed support for Lukashenko.
During his visit to Moscow, Makei said that the situation in his home country was stabilizing. Lavrov accused the EU and NATO of “destructive statements” and accused “trained Ukrainian extremists” of causing trouble in the country. Lavrov further said that Russia sees no reason to “trade” with the Belarusian opposition, as it engages in illegal activities.
The remarks were made at the same time the Belarusian software company Pandadoc announced that authorities had raided its headquarters and detained employees. The company’s chief executive tells Reuters he believes the raid is politically motivated and is linked to interviews he has conducted on the situation in the country.
On Friday, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin will visit Russia.
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