Media: Lukashenka threatens he may withdraw from “union state”, CIS, CSTO and Customs Union

That was his reaction to possible non-recognition of the presidential election in Belarus.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka said if the Russian leadership didn’t recognize his victory in the upcoming presidential election, Belarus would withdraw from its membership in all main integration institutions of the post-Soviet states, Regnum information agency reports referring to its source in Minsk.

According to a source, Lukashenka’s logic was like that: if his victory in the election is not recognized, he will become an illegitimate head of state for those wanting Belarus to be a member of Russia-Belarus union state, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Customs Union and other post-Soviet integration institutions, because Belarus’s membership in these organization will be illegitimate.

We remind that a source from Kremlin said on October 4 that “Russia will give adequate evaluation of the Belarusian election”. On October 3, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accused Lukashenka of dishonest behavior and willful presenting Russia as an enemy ahead of the presidential election in the republic. Spokesperson to the Russian president Natalya Timakova said Moscow-Minsk relations would never be the same.

Now it’s turn of the Russian Duma to make its statement in the conflict between Russian and Belarusian presidents. The lower house of the Russian parliament is going to adopt the statement On Upcoming Presidential Election. The Kremlin hesitated until the last minute whether this gesture of MEPs was admissible, Gazeta.Ru writes referring to two sources in the State Duma and United Russia party.

“The statement is to be adopted in unison with the statement of the Russian president,” the source added.