The presidential press office confirmed on Monday that Alyaksandr Lukashenka was staying in Russia’s Black Sea coastal resort of Sochi.
The president "has left for the Russian Federation on a working visit, where he will spend the next few days," the press office said, noting that "a meeting of the presidents of Belarus and Russia is scheduled to take place in Sochi this week." The press office did not say when the Belarusian leader left for Russia.
Mr. Lukashenka announced his scheduled meeting with the Russian president while on a working tour of the Vitsyebsk region on August 20. According to Mr. Lukashenka, an agreement on their meeting was reached during an informal CIS summit that was held in Kyrgyzstan on July 31 and August 1.
Mr. Lukashenka noted that they would discuss "the entire spectrum of difficult issues that have not yet been settled." Sergei Prikhodko, aide to the Russian president, told reporters in Sochi on Friday that Mr. Lukashenka was staying there and would have a meeting with Dmitry Medvedev in Sochi in the second half of the following week to discuss issues concerning trade and economic relations between the two countries.
The leaders of Belarus and Russia have had four one-on-one meetings this year: in Moscow on February 3, at the Russian president’s Zavidovo residence in the Tver province on March 19, at the Yasnaya Polyana residence near Sochi on March 21, and at the Russian president’s residence in Gorki near Moscow on April 10.
