Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatol Hlaz has criticized Russian envoy to Minsk Mikhail Babich's recent public statements about the two countries integration, calling them "artificial and juggled figures."
On March 15. the Belarusian Foreign Ministry published on its website Hlaz's response to a question by RIA Novosti about Babich's recent interview given to the state-run Russian news agency.
RIA Novosti had published an interview with Babich the previous day, in which he rejected critical comments by Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka made during his recent meeting with media regarding "complicated" relations between the two countries.
In the interview, Babich contradicted Lukashenka's statement that Moscow was preventing Belarusian goods from entering Russia's market, saying that many Belarusian-produced goods are exported to Russia. He added, however, that there shouldn't be a distinction between the Russian and Belarusian market since the existing Russia-Belarus Union should imply a unified single market.
Hlaz told RIA Novosti he "recommends" that Babich "spend more time to understand specifics of the country he works in, get acquainted with its history and have more respect [for it]."
"...Relations between our countries and peoples are much deeper and pervasive than those artificial and juggled figures the Russian diplomat regularly sticks to... I believe that in such a short time spent here in Belarus he simply failed to understand the difference between a [Russian] federal district and an independent state," Hlaz said.
The Russia-Belarus Union State established in the 1990s exists mainly on paper.
At a March 1 press conference, Lukashenka said that Russia and Belarus still needed to sort out a number of problems before talking about integration, adding that "the Russian leadership, especially the government, are not ready to go that way."
Related
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
Why The BRICS Summit In Russia Could Be The Most Important One Yet
2U.S. 'Highly Concerned' About Reports Of North Korean Troops Joining Russians In Ukraine
3Results Show Moldovans Determined To Continue On Way To Europe, Sandu Says
4The UN Says Crimea Is Ukrainian. So Why Did Its Nuclear Agency Fund Russian Research There?
5Ukrainian Drones Reportedly Target Russian Military Plant, Moscow
6U.S. Probing Reported Leak Of Israel's Plans For Iran Attack
7From Neighbors To Power Partners: Romania's Deepening Ties With Ukraine
8Early Results Give Pro-Europe President Sandu Lead In Moldova Vote But EU Referendum Lagging
9Moldova's Razor-Thin EU 'Yes' Vote Puts President Sandu In A Tight Spot
10Romania Detects Another Unidentified Object Breaching Its Airspace
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.