MINSK, 10 September (BelTA) – Mikhail Babich, who has been recently appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Belarus, has arrived in Minsk, BelTA learned from the Russian embassy in Belarus.
The Russian ambassador is expected to present the copies of his credentials to Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei on 10 September.
BelTA cited the Kremlin website earlier as saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin said when he met with Mikhail Babich that Russia and Belarus have special relations and Belarus is Russia's number one partner. “You are going to work in Belarus. I believe I do not have to tell you about the importance of cooperation with Belarus, our main ally and partner, and about the significant role of this work for Russia. It is not just a neighboring country. This is, first of all, a country with which we have special relations and historical, ethnic, language and economic bonds,” Vladimir Putin said addressing the new ambassador.
The Russian president noted that Belarus is member of the CSTO and the EAEU. “Apart from that, we are building a totally new format – the Union State. So there are many areas of work. You will do not only diplomatic work, but also deal with economic matters representing Russia's interests as a special envoy,” Vladimir Putin added.
