MINSK, March 18. /TASS/. The Russian side proceeds from what Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said and does not insist that Belarus recognize Crimea as part of Russia, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Mikhail Babich said at a press conference in honor of the fifth anniversary of Russia’s reunification with Crimea.
"We recently had an extensive conversation with the Belarusian president, he expressed his detailed position on this issue. This is the president of a sovereign state, who formulated the nation’s stance on the issue. We don’t have any other grounds to comment on [the Minsk position]," the ambassador said.
Babich pointed out that Russia’s position "proceeds from what the Belarusian president said." On March 1, Alexander Lukashenko said at a press conference that he is grateful to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for understanding the position of Minsk on Crimea. He noted that both parties have "a complete understanding of Minsk’s position on Crimea." As Lukashenko emphasized, if he were to declare Crimea a part of Russia, nothing would change, but "it is important to look at the issues more closely." Moreover, he said that had Belarus recognized Abkhazia as an independent state, Belarus could have found itself in complete isolation.