MINSK, Belarus (AP) — The president of Belarus said today that his country is “being forced into integration” with Russia and insisted that real integration of the two countries’ economies implied “sovereignty and independence” for Belarus.
“We remain committed, as always, to real integration without being forced into integration,” President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with Mikhail Myasnikovich, chair of the Eurasian Economic Commission.
His statement comes as tensions are running high between the neighboring ex-Soviet states. Negotiations on closer economic ties have stalled, Russia halted oil supplies to Belarus and Lukashenko has repeatedly accused the Kremlin of pushing for a merger of the two countries.
