Two So Called Presidents Have Met in Sochi On 8/19/2008

(Dictatorships Unite in Isolation From the Rest of the World)

So called president of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko called actions of Russia during the war in Georgia quiet and accurate. "Everything has been done perfect, in a very calm, wise and beautiful manner," Lukashenka said in Sochi at the meeting with so called Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev. "Russia has done everything very accurately," the Belarusian ruler obligingly added, that actions of the West in the same situation would be such that "the whole world would be stirred".

Lukashenko noted that actions of the Russian Federation for settlement the conflict are to contribute to peace in the region "for long times".
He believes that the events "nudge us to some not simple actions in the framework of the Union State". Lukashenko underlined that "never called that [Russia's actions in Georgia] a war". He noted once again that everything was done by Russia in a calm manner.

Today (August 19th, 2008) Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Russian "president" Dmitriy Medvedev in Sochi. As informed by Russian officials, during the meeting the "heads" of the states were to discuss issues of transition to market formation of prices, preparation to the CIS summit, as well as Russia's war with Georgia and the stance of Belarus towards it.

The Ambassador of Russia to Belarus Alexandr Surikov criticized the Belarusian authorities for "keeping timid silence" in the situation in South Ossetia. To his mind, Moscow expected humanitarian aid and "words of support". Next day Lukashenko expressed condolences to victims, and yesterday evening 63 tons of humanitarian aid were delivered to Vladikavkaz from Belarus.

On August 13 at the meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorski tried to achieve lower price for gas in 2009 (Gazprom plans to raise it to $200 per 1,000 cubic metres), and a long-time loan of $2 bn. But talks on economic topics were postponed till the beginning of autumn.

The position of Belarus towards the conflict in South Ossetia caused the proposal to Aleksandr Lukashenko to find agreement with Russian president Dmitriy Medvedev first. Dmitriy Medvedev and Aleksandr Lukashenko have agreed upon holding another session of the Supreme State Council of the "Union State". Also leaders of the states "agreed to carry to completion the work on the intergovernmental agreement on creation a single air defence system, which is to be signed during this session".

During the meeting of the "presidents" the schedule of the upcoming political contacts till the end of the year was discussed. An agreement on holding another session of the Supreme state council of the "Union State" in Moscow this autumn has been reached.