MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. A number of European countries have refused to recognize Alexander Lukashenko as a legitimate president of Belarus following his inauguration on Wednesday.

Before the inauguration, he led the country based on the results of the 2015 presidential election that had been recognized by the international community.

The Baltic countries were the first to refuse to recognize Lukashenko’s legitimacy. They were followed by Slovakia and Germany.

The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said earlier that the EU did not recognize the results of the August 9 presidential election in Belarus.

Former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said in a video address that she considered herself to be the leader elected by the country’s people.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the leaders of many other countries, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Vietnam, congratulated Lukashenko on winning the presidential election.