State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Russia Grigory Karasin indirectly confirmed on December 21 that Moscow recognizes results of presidential elections in Belarus with a landslide victory of Alexander Lukashenko. This was said by the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry in a telephone conversation with U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Byerly.
«Karasin reiterated the principled position of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that the presidential elections in this country are primarily an internal affair of Belarus itself, and that Belarus will always be one of the closest states to Russia,» the Russian Foreign Ministry told.
The Russian side also noted that the mission of CIS observers had stated about the Belarusian elections, held in compliance with generally accepted democratic norms, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
At the same time the Russian leader has not yet formally congratulated Alexander Lukashenko on his victory in the presidential elections in Belarus and his re-election for a fourth term.
Minsk and Moscow to Continue Active Cooperation, Karasin
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Russia also discussed the elections in Belarus with First Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Igor Petrishenko.
«The Russian side stressed that the mission of CIS observers had recognized the presidential elections as open, relevant to the electoral legislation of Belarus and the generally accepted democratic norms,» a statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
«The parties confirmed the firm intention to continue an active comprehensive Belarusian-Russian cooperation,» the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.
