What will Lukashenka ask Moscow for?

Alyaksandr Lukashenka is to pay a working visit to Russia where a meeting Patriarch Kirill is scheduled. It’s unknown whether Lukashenka will meet with representatives of the Russian authorities.

The meeting will be held as developing the agreements reached by Belarusian president Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Patriarch Kirill in Sochi on March 25.

It is the third visit of the Belarusian president to Russia for the last month: he met Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in Zavidovo residence near Moscow on March 19, the two presidents had talks in Sochi on March 21. On April 3, Lukashenka and Medvedev had a telephone conversation and discussed a possibility of an early meeting, BelaPAN reminds.

It should be reminded that Lukashenka made a number of harsh remarks about Russia ahead of his visit to Moscow. He blamed the Russian side of failure to perform the agreements reached, including ones on mutual trade.

“They don’t want us to entry their markets. We will look for other export directions,” the president said during his visit to the Homel region on April 7. “We’ll always be present at the Russian market, but we must develop other markets, too. The life is teaching us and makes us diversify export.”

Lukashenka demanded the Belarusian government to “stop crawling on our knees” from one Russian office to another and begin looking for new directions of Belarusian products export. Moreover, he stressed, the Belarusian products have “normal quality”, they are competitive, having demand in different world regions.

On April 9, during a meeting with governor of Russia’s Leningrad region Valery Serdyukov, Lukashenka said the Russian-Belarusian relations needed “more clarity and transparency”.

It became known on the same day that minister of economic development of Russia Elvira Nabiulina signed a decree on access of 11 Belarusian industrial enterprises to the Russian state procurement market.

“In the nearest time, in two or three days, the order must be registered by the Ministry of Justice of Russia, and it will take into force if approved,” vice premier of Belarus Andrei Kabyakou told journalists on April 9.

According to him, the Belarusian side is to allow access to its state procurement market for nine Russian enterprises.

Kabyakou said the agreements were reached at the meeting with first vice premier of Russia Igor Shuvalov on April 8. The negotiations would be continued in two weeks, the official added.

He also said that it was agreed with Rosselkhozbank on crediting purchases of Belarusian agricultural machinery.

Media: Patriarch Kirill won’t lobby dictator’s policy

Independent experts say the Belarusian ruler won’t probably confine his visit to Moscow to talks with his Holiness.

“It can’t be excluded that he will meet some high ranking officials by chance, moreover, president Medvedev, judging by Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s remarks on Thursday during a meeting with governor Serdyukov, asked why Russian TV channels were switched in Belarus,” politologist Alyaksandr Klaskouski told in an interview to “Zavtra Tvoei Strany”.

Political observer Raman Yakauleuski notes that the new-elected Patriarch, unlike Alexi II, will hardly lobby Lukashenka’s interests in Moscow

“The fact that former Archbishop of Smolensk and Kaliningrad Kirill, being now a Patriarch, is a political figure at the Russian political arena, is admitted by many people, political observer Raman Yakauleuski notes. “thus, it is a fact that his foreign policy is closely connected with the Russian authorities. The fact Lukashenka will have a meeting only with Patriarch demonstrates that Lukashenka’s relations with the ruling Russian tandem are becoming more and more difficult. Here another variant is possible: this meeting ahead of a possible meeting with Medvedev shows that Lukashenka wants to win support of Patriarch as an influential political figure. I don’t think Patriarch Kirill, unlike his predecessor Alexi II, will lobby issues related to Lukashenka’s policy in Russia. Lukashenka’s statements in Svetlahorsk in regard to Russia can’t promote brotherly atmosphere of his possible meeting with president Medvedev. Lukashenka, however, gave to understand he had claims not to the Kremlin, but to the Russian White House, to Putin. But Putin, in fact, rules Russia, though we are speaking about duumvirate.”

According to the expert, a meeting of the Russian and Belarusian presidents may take place in the near future, for, “according to unofficial information, the Belarusian embassy in Moscow has been standing alert for three days because of the visit of Lukashenka, and this meeting is expected to happen this week.”