Russia’s Putin to conduct 2-day visit to neighboring Belarus

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday will conduct a two-day official visit to neighboring Belarus, marking his second visit abroad since being inaugurated for a fifth term in office earlier this month.

A statement by the Kremlin said Putin will travel to the country on May 23-24 following an invitation by his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

“During the negotiations, topical issues of the further development of Russian-Belarusian relations of strategic partnership and alliance, the progress and prospects of integration interaction within the Union State, as well as key topics on the international agenda are planned to be discussed,” the statement further said.

Last week, Putin conducted a visit to China, marking his first visit abroad since assuming a new six-year term.

Russia and Belarus are formally part of a union state and have been in talks for years to move closer together, a process that has accelerated in recent years.