Has Putin congratulated Lukashenka indeed?

While the Office of the President of Belarus is quoting a congratulatory wire from the Kremlin, the press office of the Russian President does not confirm that the telegram has indeed been sent to to Minsk.

There is no single mention about congratulations to Lukashenka on the Kremlin’s official site at www.kremlin.ru. The site mentions only Putin’s congratulation to the Russian Jews over their religious holiday.

At the same, the Belarusian government news agency BELTA disseminated information, citing the Office of the Belarusian President that Putin did send a telegram to Minsk and even quoted the text of this mysterious letter: “This day symbolizes the historical unity of our people.”

Lukashenka congratulated Putin with the Day of Unification of the two countries back on March 31. “I hope that we will find efficient and mutually acceptable solutions to the issues of Belarus-Russian integration at the modern stage,” Lukashenka wrote in his message to the Russian president.

The European Radio for Belarus called the officer on duty at the press service of the Office of the Belarusian President. Our interlocutor said that he could not confirm or denounce the information about the existence of this mysterious telegram from Putin. The officer assumed that if the letter was not posted on the Kremlin’s official web-site, it could mean that it was not in existance.

The last time Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to Minsk was ahead of the New Year celebrations.