MINSK, June 2. /TASS/. Russia’s new Ambassador to Belarus Dmitry Mezentsev has arrived in Minsk, Alexei Maskalev, a spokesman for the Russian embassy, told TASS on Sunday.

"Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Belarus arrived in Minsk today," he said.

Mezentsev, who previously represented Russia’s Far Eastern Sakhalin region in the Federation Council upper parliament house, was appointed Russian ambassador to Belarus by President Vladimir Putin’s decree on April 30. He will succeed Mikhail Babich.

Before leaving for Minsk, Mezentsev told TASS he saw his key task as the ambassador in maintaining "the vast and unique practice of cooperation between Russia and Belarus that has evolved over the past years.".