Putin underlines significance of Lukashenko's willingness to amend Belarus' Constitution

Vladimir Putin said: “I would like to point out that the incumbent president Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko has announced the possibility of amending the Constitution or the possibility of adopting a new Constitution. He has said it publicly and more than once, has taken concrete steps towards implementing what has been said. He has also mentioned the possibility of organizing parliamentary elections and a presidential election on that basis.”

“I think that judging from today's reality and from the evaluation of the domestic political situation it is a significant step towards his political opponents,” the Russian president stressed.

Vladimir Putin also believes it would be a good idea for all the political forces to get involved in discussing the constitutional reform instead of indiscriminately criticizing the current government. “They could be integrated into this work and could influence the decisions that could be made in the course of this process,” Vladimir Putin advised.

He also stated that the matter of the presidential election should be determined by the Belarusian people and the leadership of Belarus. “We are not going to get involved in it,” Vladimir Putin stressed.

Vladimir Putin also talked about the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. “The treaty takes care of everything. We don't think we need to add anything to it. The question is whether we should implement some parts of the plan that has existed for two decades already or whether we should refrain from doing some things for now. We don't rush anything anyway,” he said.