BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

15/06/2009

Russia moves to heal rift with Belarus

Interfax-Ukraine

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia moved to heal a diplomatic rift with long-time ally Belarus on Monday after a series of verbal volleys on Sunday threatened to cause a decisive break in relations between the ex-Soviet neighbours.

Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it was committed to developing relations with its "brotherly" nation Belarus, while Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called on his cabinet not to say anything that might upset Minsk.

"We and Belarus, whatever happens, are part of one family. There may be tiffs and scandals, but all the same life goes on," Putin said.

Ties between the former Soviet republics have been strained since 2007. Minsk is angry at rising prices for Russian gas and Moscow by Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko's growing overtures to the West.

The dispute intensified when Moscow banned one of Belarus' key exports, dairy products, on health grounds.

The spat came to a head on Sunday when Lukashenko snubbed the Kremlin by pulling out of a security summit. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev then called for an end to Belarus' "hysterics".

FINANCIAL CRISIS

But by Monday, Russia had significantly toned down its rhetoric in a foreign ministry statement. It described Lukashenko's decision to boycott the summit as "irrational" but went on to describe Belarus as "a reliable partner and ally".

"We would like to confirm our firm inclination to long-term cooperation with Belarus in all spheres," the foreign ministry said.

At a cabinet meeting, Putin called for officials to be careful in addressing Belarus, which he said was understandably feeling stress about the financial crisis.

Russian officials "need to be accurate in their statements," he said. "To offend someone is not the best option."

Agriculture minister Yelena Skrynnik told Putin at the meeting that Belarus had taken the positive step of agreeing to stop exports of milk powder to Russia for six months. Russian news agencies said talks between Russian and Belarussian officials were continuing in Moscow on the milk ban.

Analysts said the two countries appeared to be stepping back from the edge, but predicted relations would continue to be rocky. "We are seeing a softening in the rhetoric and we can expect some kind of agreement," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the journal Russia in Global Affairs.

"There is a show of force, a step back and some kind of agreement," he said. "This pattern has governed the countries' relations for years."

Source:

http://www.kyivpost.com/world/43382

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