BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/05/2007

Union state borders reliably protected - Lukashenko

MINSK, May 9 (RIA Novosti) - Belarus is taking all necessary measures to protect the borders of a Union State it is building with Russia, President Alexander Lukashenko said Wednesday.

"Our Armed Forces, together with brotherly Russia, are ready to meet any threats and challenges of the 21st century," he said after a VE Day march in central Minsk.

The two former Soviet nations are building a Union State in a bid to integrate their economies and political systems, but the process has stalled over a host of issues, including the energy dispute and a tug-of-war between leaders.

Lukashenko said earlier Belarus will fulfill its defense obligations despite recent difficulties in bilateral relations.

Belarus was to have adopted the Russian ruble as the Union's single currency in January, but the move was postponed. Lukashenko insisted that a constitutional act be passed first, and put the blame on Russia for delaying the integration process.

He said earlier Wednesday Belarus has been outraged by the removal of a Soviet-era World War II monument in Estonia.

The monument's relocation sparked a wave of protests, both in Moscow and Tallinn.

Relations between Russia and Estonia hit their lowest after Estonian authorities dismantled the monument ahead of Victory Day, which is marked May 9 in Russia, saying it was a reminder of 50 years of Soviet occupation. The monument is dear to Russians as a symbol of victory over the Nazis.

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin, in a speech at a military parade in Moscow, cautioned against any attempts to obliterate the memory of those who died in the Great Patriotic War, and to desecrate monuments to war heroes.

Source:

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070509/65163425.html