Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Belarus

Belarus President Says Union With Russia Based On Equality

Lukashenka (right) and Putin in an undated file photo (epa)

28 January 2006 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has said that a proposed union with Russia would be built on the principles of equality.

TEXT SIZE - +

January 28, 2006

Speaking in an interview on Belarusian state television on 27 January, Lukashenka said the creation of a unified state would be "time- and effort-consuming."

The Belarusian president said that there are also unresolved issues to be considered, for example the approval of a single constitution and a shared currency.

Belarus and Russia have been speaking about a union since the mid-1990s, but integration efforts have often stagnated.

(ITAR-TASS)

Video Roundtable On Belarus/Ukraine

On December 8, 2005, RFE/RL and the Policy Association for an Open Society (PASOS) jointly conducted a roundtable discussion on issues relating to Belarus's post-Soviet transition. To view video of the roundtable, click here.

Can Belarus's Opposition Unite To Challenge Lukashenka?

Belarus: The Slow-Boiling Dictatorship

'Police Detain Stuffed Animals' In Minsk Toy Protest

Belarusian youth activists say police have "detained" some stuffed animals used in an antigovernment protest in Minsk, in an echo of similar recent protests in Russia. More

There are frequent reports in the Bulgarian and Ukrainian media about Romanian “pirates” robbing passing transport ships on the Danube. (file photo)

Reports Of 'Pirates Of The Danube' Get The Old Heave-Ho

An attack last month on a Ukrainian barge on the Romanian sector of the Danube River has caused a diplomatic tussle between Bucharest and Kyiv, sparking media reports of possible acts of piracy on Europe's second-largest river. But do “Danube pirates” actually exist? More

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (center) drinking beer with soccer fans in St. Petersburg on January 19.

Candidate Putin Offers Russian Soccer Fans Free Flights To Euro 2012

Russian soccer fans concerned about making it to Kyiv for the Euro 2012 championships need worry no longer. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has announced the country's leading airlines will provide free transport to and from at least some of the Russian team's matches. More