Lukashenko Will Soon Visit Moscow

The presidents of Belarus and Russia agreed to meet in person. There is no exact date yet, Peskov said. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will soon visit Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The press service of the Belarusian president announced this on Sunday, August 30, following a telephone conversation between the two leaders. "The heads of state agreed on a personal meeting in the near future. It ... will take place during the visit of Alexander Lukashenko to Moscow," the message says. During the conversation, politicians "discussed today’s most pressing issues, including bilateral cooperation and the situation in Belarus," the press service said. Separately, Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin touched upon "the situation around" Belarus, the message goes on saying. Peskov: No exact date yet Meanwhile, the Kremlin press service noted that the meeting could take place "in the coming weeks." As press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti in turn, there is no exact date for the talks between Putin and Lukashenko in Moscow. During the conversation, the leaders also confirmed "a mutual disposition to further strengthen the Russian-Belarusian alliance," the statement says. In addition, the Russian President congratulated Lukashenko on his birthday. For almost three weeks in Belarus protests and strikes hold; strikes that began after the presidential elections on August 9, where according to the CEC, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won with 80 percent of the vote. During first days, according to official figures, almost 7,000 people were detained, four people died. Immediately after the elections, the Internet was actually blocked in Belarus, and the security forces, according to observers, showed unprecedented cruelty when dispersing the demonstrators.