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Rapota may replace Borodin as Union State secretary - speaker

Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko does not rule out that Grigory Rapota may shortly replace Pavel Borodin

ST. PETERSBURG, November 10 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko does not rule out that Grigory Rapota may shortly replace Pavel Borodin as state secretary of the Russia-Belarus Union State.

Rapota is currently Russian president’s envoy to the Volga Federal District. “Usually I don’t comment on rumors, but this progression of events is possible,” Matviyenko said at a news conference in reply to the question about a possible appointment.

According to the upper house speaker, the decision on that may be reached at the end of November, when a session of the Union State’s Supreme Council takes place.

Borodin, who turned 65 on October 25, holds this position since January 2000. Prior to that he was Kremlin property manager. Early in October, media reports mentioned an upcoming resignation of Borodin. Later, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed this information, specifying that this was Moscow’s initiative.

“We did not initiate that process,” the Belarusian leader said at a news conference for Russian reporters in Minsk on October 7. Kremlin also confirmed then that Pavel Borodin might resign.

“The principle of rotation is applicable to all officials, including those working at leading agencies of the Union State,” a Kremlin source told Tass. He did not rule out that “this principle would be also applied to Borodin”.

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