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Eastern Europe
March 22, 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 21
Belarus, Russia locked in bitter diplomatic dispute over anti- Russian rhetoric
Sergei Kuznetsov in Kyiv
A bitter diplomatic row between Russia and neighbouring Belarus sparked on March 15 following an interview of Moscow's ambassador Mikhail Babich, who has accused President Alexander Lukashenko of using anti-Russian rhetoric with the aim to mobilise Belarusian voters "against some imaginary enemy".
The diplomat also warned Minsk elites against "lecturing" Russia and its government on how to act in bilateral relations. "All the more so as there are a lot of those wishing to teach us in the world," the ambassador said in an interview with Russia's news agency RIA Novosti on March 14, comment- ing Lukashenko's growing anti-Russian rhetoric.
According to Babich, Lukashenko's statements "are used to merely mobilise [Belarusian] voters against some imaginary enemy". "It is not quite sensible to use this technique at the expense of relations with your closest ally and brotherly na- tion," the diploma added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Babich as Moscow's new ambassador to Belarus, as well as the Russian president’s special envoy responsible for the development of trade and eco- nomic cooperation with this country, in August 2018.
Two and a half years ago, Babich was considered as a candidate for the position of ambassador to Ukraine, but the Ukrainian authorities rejected his candidacy. Since then, Ukrainian media dubbed him "the ambassador of war".
Mikhail Babich, Russia's ambassador to Belarus caused a row by accusing Minsk of anti-Russian rhetoric
illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea by Russia as a member of Russia`s Security Council. On the top of that Babich has links to the Russian FSB security services.
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The Russian leading stock index the dollar denominated Russia Trading System (RTS) has been largely range bound for most of the last four years. But Russia pays the highest dividends in the world, the Fed easing means a “wall of money” is headed to emerging markets and the best names are reporting record profits. Some stocks are flying.
Ben Aris, editor-in-chief of bne IntelliNews talks with Slava Solyaninov, the chief strategist at BCS GM about some of the more interesting stories in the market including: Lukoil, Novatek, Gazprom, Sberbank, Tinkoff Bank and RusAl.
Slava Solyaninov,
Chief Strategist at BCS GM
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Kyiv explained that Babich had approved the 2014