MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions have become part of the Union State of Russia and Belarus after acceding to Russia, Director of the Second Department of CIS Countries of the Russian Foreign Ministry Aleksey Polischuk said in an interview with TASS.
"Crimea is an integral part not merely of Russia but also of the Union State of Russia and Belarus. It is stated in the agreement of its establishment of 1999 that ‘the territory of the Union State consists of state territories of participating countries,’ which are determined by their constitutions in their turn. It means the Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol and new regions of Donbass and Pryazovia became part of the Union State after acceding to Russia," the diplomat said.
Belarus is developing cooperation with Crimea and Sevastopol, primarily in trade-economic, cultural-humanitarian, and tourist spheres, Polischuk noted. "Belarusian goods are being sold in Crimea and Belarusian citizens have holidays in the peninsula on equal terms with Russians," he added.