MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. Belarus will not join Russia in the near future, according to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
"Everyone approaches this issue in an outdated manner, both in Belarus and Russia. There is the union of Belarus and Russia, the Union State. But where is it? When will it materialize? What do you envision when it takes its final shape? Will Russia become part of Belarus, or will Belarus become part of Russia? This is unlikely to happen in the near future. If we attempt to force this issue, we risk undermining everything we have achieved," he stated while addressing the Federation Council in Russia.
Lukashenko believes that the unification of the two states could have occurred back during Boris Yeltsin's presidency.
"We missed the moment when it could have been achieved. I was actively persuading the members of the State Duma. At that time, we had an agreement - not a treaty; it was later that Vladimir Putin and I signed a formal treaty. There was also an understanding during Boris Yeltsin's tenure. My position was clearly supported by the referendums, in which the people expressed their opinions on the direction we should take. I continually urged the Duma, and Boris Yeltsin was in agreement, but the legislators in Russia at that time were not," he added.