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Crisis in Belarus

Russia’s deputy foreign minister, China’s ambassador discuss Belarus

They also exchanged opinions on ways of further enhancing Russian-Chinese cooperation in various fields

MOSCOW, September 16. /TASS/. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko and China’s ambassador in Moscow Zhang Hanhui met on Wednesday to discuss situations in Belarus and Central Asia.

"The two men discussed the situations in Belarus and in Central Asia, as well as exchanged opinions on ways of further enhancing Russian-Chinese cooperation in various fields," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a news release.

Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission’s official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival in the race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, came in second, with 10.12% of the ballot. However, she refused to recognize the election’s outcome, and left Belarus for Lithuania. After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities. During the early post-election period, the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police. The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more protests. In response, the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.

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