BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

04/02/2008

Lukashenko Finds His Place in Sochi

Russian President Vladimir Putin received Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at his residence in Sochi. Kommersant special correspondent Andrey Kolesnikov reports that presidential candidate Dmitry Medvedev received Lukashenko on the slopes at Krasnaya Polyana a little before that.

Lukashenko was the first to show up at Krasnaya Polyana. He skied down the slope several times with a thoughtful look on his face as he waited for his colleagues. Lukashenko, according to the approved schoolbook story of his life, has been an cross-country skier since childhood and learned downhill skiing several years ago.

Medvedev apparently learned alpine skiing much later, several months ago or, more likely, several weeks ago. I would not rule out the possibility that it was several days ago. He was the last to come out onto the slope, already after the few journalists present had bit the bullet and settled in for 200-ruble glasses of mulled wine at the cafe. (That's about $8.)

"We've been looking for you all over the mountains," Lukashenko said coming up to him.

I remember very well Putin agreeing to meet Lukashenko several years ago for some morning skiing at Chumbulak, in Kazakhstan, and not being able to find him. After searching various slopes, they found him on the "baby" slope, where instructors help beginners get started.

"Well, let's not get carried away," Medvedev answered, obviously not as enthusiastic about the sport as some others are.

The Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov showed up.

Medvedev, like any beginning skier, suggested that this would be a good time to stop for tea. He had to make that suggestion two more times before the others agreed to it, and then they looked as though they would rather have gone down the hill a few more times. The prime minister holds his own on skis as well as he does in government sessions.

The drank not tea but cocoa, from Lukashenko's thermos. The Belarusian offered a toast "To the beginning of the presidential campaign" and they clicked glasses, leading to the suspicion that cocoa can be fortified with cognac as easily as coffee. Why else would they have resisted the chance to have mulled wine after their tea?

Putin had been in that cafe already this month, but he was not present now. Sources said that he was working on documents at his residence, Bocharov Ruchye. As they left the cafe, Medvedev told the barman, "We have to maintain tradition" and gave him his ski goggles.

The busy barman took the gifts without ceremony. Putin had given another barman there his goggles last month after he refused to accept money for the tea the president ordered.

That evening, when the presidents of Russia and Belarus met at Bocharov Ruchye, Lukashenko told Putin how much he enjoyed himself at Krasnaya Polyana.

"Did you like it?" Putin asked. He was proud of what he has here and probably also wanted Lukashenko to elaborate because he knew his words would reach the International Olympic Committee, and it would hear that things are finally coming along.

"I've never seen any thing like it in the world!" Lukashenko enthused. That would have meant more if it weren't for the fact that Lukashenko hasn't seen anything in the world for years, since most countries won't allowed him to visit.

"The main thing is the orderliness and security," Lukashenko continued, as if he were talking about Minsk. "And a high level of convenience of families."

You might have thought that Lukashenko came with his wife, but it wasn't so. They've been separated for years.

"We agreed on it and now we have to conciliate it," he continued. "We wanted to create a Belarusian corner at the Olympiad." Obviously, Belarus should build one of the 80 Olympic facilities by itself.

"Of course," said Putin nodding, perhaps a little too readily, since it later became known that Lukashenko's idea was for the Belarusians to build something (most likely a hotel), with their own labor and money, that would not be subject to licensing by the International Olympic Committee, and the object would remain the property of Belarus. Then Lukashenko, who, I'm sure, plans to be president in 2014 (and for several Olympic Games to come), can come to Sochi and feel literally at home.

Twenty minutes later, the two presidents met with Medvedev and Zubkov on the second floor of the residence. They were all emphatically informally dressed. Medvedev was in Jeans, Putin wore a brown sweater and Zubkov wore a blindingly white sweater. Only Lukashenko was wearing a suit jacket.

To include him in the conversation, Putin asked Medvedev how cooperation with Belarus was going within the national agricultural project. Medvedev did not understand.

"We, we are mainly supporting our agriculture," he began, surprised at the question. Belarus is not yet part of Russia and thus it is beyond the scope of national projects.

Perhaps Medvedev thought that Belarus had to be included in the national projects. Since the new agreement on natural gas prices went into effect, relations between Russia and Belarus have been in a warming period, which will certain end soon in another collapse.

"No, I meant equipment purchases in Belarus," Putin said, thus relieving the first deputy prime minister of the duty of including the neighboring country in the Russian national projects.

"Equipment purchases!" Medvedev echoed. It was probably not the first time that day he thought that the person from Belarus sitting across from him would be a cross for him to bear. Beginning in May, he will sit across from him instead.

Andrey Kolesnikov

Source:

http://www.kommersant.com/p848900/r_543/2014_Olympics_foreign_relations/

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