DPA
Moscow
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a decree to bring about further integration with Russia in a step closer to the formation of a union state, as Minsk faces growing pressure due to Western sanctions.
"So I’ll sign now,” Lukashenko said during a video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin that was broadcast on Russian state television. Putin, who nodded in approval, had already signed the document for the union, a project long in the planning.
The document provides for a total of 28 integration programmes, including a coordinated military doctrine. Putin and Lukashenko said that cooperation between the two states would reach a new level.
Lukashenko had already announced a "breakthrough” in September.
Belarus has long been financially dependent on Russia. More recently, Putin has repeatedly provided support to Lukashenko in his battles with the West, which imposed sanctions following Minsk’s violent crackdown on dissent due to elections widely seen as rigged.
Belarus’ democracy movement has complained of severe repression, including the torture and killing of dissidents.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya criticized the document.
Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile in the European Union, said Lukashenko no longer had the legitimacy to launch such programmes and said people were being kept in the dark about the specific details involved.
For his part, Lukashenko has rejected accusations in the past that he is selling Belarus to Russia and that the project endangers the country’s independence.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said hundreds of individual laws and decrees were now needed to bring the programmes for the Russian-Belarusian union state to life.
Lukashenko, historically more hesitant about integration, has been making more concessions to Putin in talks recently, given the pressure of sanctions.
Putin repeated his vow to support Lukashenko in his battles with the West.
The EU no longer recognises Lukashenko as president following last year’s disputed elections.
Moscow
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a decree to bring about further integration with Russia in a step closer to the formation of a union state, as Minsk faces growing pressure due to Western sanctions.
"So I’ll sign now,” Lukashenko said during a video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin that was broadcast on Russian state television. Putin, who nodded in approval, had already signed the document for the union, a project long in the planning.
The document provides for a total of 28 integration programmes, including a coordinated military doctrine. Putin and Lukashenko said that cooperation between the two states would reach a new level.
Lukashenko had already announced a "breakthrough” in September.
Belarus has long been financially dependent on Russia. More recently, Putin has repeatedly provided support to Lukashenko in his battles with the West, which imposed sanctions following Minsk’s violent crackdown on dissent due to elections widely seen as rigged.
Belarus’ democracy movement has complained of severe repression, including the torture and killing of dissidents.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya criticized the document.
Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile in the European Union, said Lukashenko no longer had the legitimacy to launch such programmes and said people were being kept in the dark about the specific details involved.
For his part, Lukashenko has rejected accusations in the past that he is selling Belarus to Russia and that the project endangers the country’s independence.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said hundreds of individual laws and decrees were now needed to bring the programmes for the Russian-Belarusian union state to life.
Lukashenko, historically more hesitant about integration, has been making more concessions to Putin in talks recently, given the pressure of sanctions.
Putin repeated his vow to support Lukashenko in his battles with the West.
The EU no longer recognises Lukashenko as president following last year’s disputed elections.