Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko today reiterated his pledge that his country will not become part of Russia, ahead of economic talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin this weekend.
Lukashenko told the Belarusian MPs that he would not sign any document that would harm the interests of Belarus and added that any additional rapprochement with Russia would be on an equal basis.
There is concern in Belarus that the economic talks are just a cover for Moscow's plan to swallow the former Soviet republic.
However, Lukashenko rejected such ideas and said that Belarus "did not plan and does not plan to become part of any other state, not even brotherly Russia."
He added that the two countries will not form a joint parliament.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also said that the increasing economic integration is not a threat to the sovereignty of Belarus and that Russia also reduced its sovereignty by joining the Eurasian Economic Union.
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