BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
09/06/2009
Belarus leader for stronger EU ties despite Russia rift
Source ::: AFP
Minsk: Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko insisted yesterday that his country was serious about building strong ties with the European Union, amid a growing rift with its long-time ally Russia.
"You should be absolutely sure that everything which is happening with our Western partner-the European Union-is not a one-time event on our part, not some sort of game," Lukashenko said.
"This is the realisation of our long-term strategic course," Lukashenko said at a meeting in Minsk with Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar, current chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Relations between Minsk and Moscow have deteriorated in recent months amid a range of disputes, most recently a Russian ban on Belarussian dairy imports which was announced Saturday, sparking talk of a "milk war."
The Kremlin is angry at moves by Lukashenko to seek closer ties with the EU, while the Belarussian leader has blasted Moscow for dragging its feet on releasing a loan to his cash-strapped country.
Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet republic of 10 million people in an authoritarian fashion since 1994, pursued close ties with Moscow for years while being ostracized in the West as "Europe's last dictator."
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