Belarusian, Ukrainian leaders may meet in Homyel on May 6

Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka is expected to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yushchenko, in Homyel on May 6, a local government official told BelaPAN.

The official spoke on anonymous terms, approached in connection with large-scale renovation work that began unexpectedly on April 30 at major thoroughfares in the Belarusian city, located near the Ukrainian border. The work is scheduled to be completed on May 6.

When reached by BelaPAN, Belarusian leader spokesman Pavel Lyohki said, "The press office of the president cannot confirm the report."

The reported meeting will come a day ahead of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership launch summit in Prague.

Messrs. Lukashenka and Yushchenko held their first bilateral meeting as presidents in Ukraine’s Chernihiv on January 20. They agreed that the Belarusian and Ukrainian premiers would meet within the following 10 days. Mr. Lukashenka’s press office then explained that the meeting was needed to formalize all agreements reached by the heads of state. However, the talks had not yet taken place.

The Chernihiv talks between Messrs. Lukashenka and Yushchenko yielded a memorandum on cooperation between the Belarusian and Ukrainian governments in the energy sphere and a Belarusian-Ukrainian consular convention. The Belarusian and Ukrainian cabinets and central banks also signed a memorandum on steps to increase economic cooperation amid the global economic crisis.

An agreement on eased procedures for crossing the Belarusian-Ukrainian border along the road between the Ukrainian city of Slavutych and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which runs through Belarus` areas, was also signed as a result of the meeting.