Lukashenka asks West to finance Belarusian-Russian integrated air defense system (Video)

An agreement on the joint protection of the Russia-Belarus “union state's” airspace and the creation of an integrated regional air defense network was signed in Moscow after a meeting of Lukashenka and Medvedev.

The heads of the two countries ordered to work out and introduce to them a protocol of an agreement on the joint protection of the Russia-Belarus “union state's” airspace and the creation of an integrated regional air defense network of Belarus and Russia.

Russia and Belarus also signed a resolution on tackling the consequences of global financial and economic crisis for the economy of the two countries. Besides, a Regulation on Programme of Concerted Actions in Foreign Policy for Year 2009 was signed at the session of the Supreme State Council of the “union state”.

It also became known that Russia is ready to consider a question on granting an additional some-billion-ruble loan to Belarus, Sergei Prikhodko, Russian president’s aide, said. “A sum of the credit hasn’t been defined, but it may be some tens of billion of rubles,” he said.

It has been reported that the Supreme State Council discussed a possibility of giving the functions of the reserve regional currency to the Russian ruble.

Russian president Zmitser Medvedev also supported Belarus’s intention to build a nuclear power plant and possible participation of Russia in this project.

The Charter’97 press center asked Andrei Sannikov, former deputy foreign minister of Belarus, leader of the civil campaign “European Belarus”, to comment on the agreement on the integrated air defense system, signed by Lukashenka and Medvedev.

“It is possible to say that Lukashenka continues demonstration of the anti-European position, because the Belarusian-Russian integrated air defense system moves Belarus away from Europe and allows Russia to use armed forces of Belarus in their military plans of confrontation with the West. Lukashenka has proved again that his words about improving of relations with Europe don’t tread the solid ground, he is just interested in preserving of his regime and is ready to draw his country into dangerous ventures to achieve this. The Belarusian people has again become a hostage of shortfall decisions of a small group of people who are in power today. It is clear that the integrated air defense system will be operated not by Minsk but by the Kremlin, which will strike another blow at the independence of Belarus,” Andrei Sannikov thinks.