Last dictator of Europe met with leader of Orange Revolution

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko had a meeting with Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Homel. The rulers had private negotiations in Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace. No concrete agreements have been reached.

According to Interfax, after the meeting lasted from 1.00 p.m. to 5.00- pm., Alyaksandr Lukashenka thanked Viktor Yushchenko for lobbying Belarus’s interests in the Eastern Partnership program.

“We are so thankful to you, Mr Viktor, for your efforts to include Belarus in the European Partnership program,” Lukashenka said.

The Ukrainian president said issues on “cooperation and communication in the frames of the Eastern Partnership program” were discussed in details. “Both Ukraine and Belarus are interested in projects in the frames of the Eastern Partnership program,” Yushchenko said. He said “the summit on Eastern Partnership launching scheduled for tomorrow will present an opportunity to discuss concrete questions.”

Alyaksandr Lukashenka also confirmed his readiness to take part in implementation of energy projects in cooperation with Ukraine and European partners.

“We have discussed many energy issues. Mr Viktar told me Europe is interested in Belarus’s position on questions of energy and transit. I said it was very profitable for us, we will support and implement these projects,” the Belarusian ruler said.

The Ukrainian president said: “We are interested in cooperation in energy sector and energy transit.” In particular, V. Yushchenko thinks technical and economic base for the project of Caspian oil delivering to Belarus and to the European market must be prepared. “Ukraine, Belarus and our other partners are able to implement joint projects in the interests of each of the parties,” the president of Ukraine said.

The Ukrainian president is accompanied by acting foreign minister Vladimir Khandogy, deputy head of President’s Secretariat Andrei Honcharuk, first deputy minister of fuel and energy Oleg Buhaev, deputy minister of finance Andrei Kravets, chairman of Ukrainian National Bank Vladimir Stelmakh, and head of the Security Service of Ukraine Valentin Nalivaichenko.

Lukashenka and Yushchenko met in Chernihiv (Ukraine) on January 20 last time. A range of document were signed at the meeting, in particular, the memorandum on cooperation in energy sector, the consular convention, the memorandum between the governments and national banks on taking measures to intensify trade and economic cooperation amid crisis, the inter-governmental agreement on simplified crossing of Belarusian part of Slavutich–Chernobyl nuclear plant road for workers and transport vehicles of enterprises working in the exclusion zone, and a protocol to this agreement.

It was said in Chernigov that the prime ministers of the two countries would take place “in the nearest ten days” to confirm all the agreements reached. However, Syarhei Sidorski and Yulia Timoshenko haven’t met so far.