An expert close to Lukashenko: “The issue of recognizing Crimea as Russian has almost been agreed upon”
The Belarusian President's remarks at a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State (SSC), lamenting his failure to be invited to Crimea for National Unity Day celebrations, are not mere diplomatic rhetoric. Minsk is expected to formally recognize the peninsula's Russian status soon.
All Belarusian commentators close to the government agree on this assessment, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“The issue of recognition of Crimea has been practically agreed upon. Alexander Lukashenko proposed holding the next meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State in Crimea. This means that Moscow has provided Minsk with compensation mechanisms to insure against inevitable losses on the Ukrainian market. In addition, there is a solution to the “Ukrainian issue”, and we all know it,” political scientist Alexander Shpakovsky wrote in his Telegram channel.
The coordinator of the Russian-Belarusian expert club, Vyacheslav Sutyrin, believes that the imminent formal recognition of the Russian status of Crimea is evidenced by the adoption of a common military doctrine at the Supreme State Council, along with integration programs.
“The draft doctrine lay shelved for many years, although Moscow approved it several years ago. The main point is political. It is impossible to have a common doctrine and not recognize the territorial integrity and borders of an ally,” Sutyrin wrote.
An expert close to Lukashenko: "The issue of recognizing Crimea as Russian has been practically agreed upon."