BLAGOVESHCHENSK, 12 April (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met in Blagoveshchensk and are now en route to the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast. The heads of state are expected to arrive at the cosmodrome on the same helicopter, BelTA has learned.
The visit to the cosmodrome is timed to Cosmonautics Day observed on 12 April. Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin will study progress in building the space launch facility and will talk to pilot-cosmonauts and personnel of the cosmodrome.
At the cosmodrome the presidents will have a one-on-one discussion about current matters concerning the Belarus-Russia relations, joint measures designed to counteract the sanctions-fueled pressure of the collective West, the situation in the region and the world, and events in Ukraine.
The day before, Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov told journalists that Belarus and Russia are working to create a joint satellite for the remote sensing of Earth, which is expected to become one of the most promising ones in the world. The parties already agreed on the main points, some technicalities remain, including about the project financing. “We are working on a new satellite. Its preliminary design has been developed, now we are putting it together. We are discussing funding issues. We have finalized a number of issues, some technicalities remain. I think that the heads of states will give the go-ahead for the creation of the new satellite, its financing and launch time,” the head of the National Academy of Sciences said.
A reminder, while in Russia Aleksandr Lukashenko will also visit Primorye Territory. The head of state is expected to meet with the regional government in Vladivostok on 13 April. Belarus' cooperation with this Far East region of the Russian Federation will be high on the agenda.
