Putin’s first visit's end is Belarus

• 14.05.2012, 9:12

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in his new position is to make his first foreign visit to Belarus.

“Kommersant” newspaper has learnt about that. Earlier the Kremlin sources informed that Putin planned to visit “one of the post-Soviet countries.”

Moscow has decided to neutralize at least partially the negative effect of Vladimir Putin’s denial to take part in the summit of the Eight in Camp David, “Kommersant” writes. As the newspaper had found out, a high-ranking representative of the Foreign Ministry of Russia is to take part in the special meeting on Afghanistan, which is to become a part of the upcoming summit of the NATO in Chicago, though just recently Moscow did not hurry to accept invitation of the NATO. The President of Russia who refused to go to the US, is to pay his first foreign visit to Belarus.

In early June Vladimir Putin is to take part in the summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). On the way to Beijing he was to visit Kazakhstan. It had been supposed that it would be the first Putin’s foreign visit, who becomes a president for the third time. This decision has been probably changed now, and before the summit the leader of the state would be able to visit Minsk.

Earlier Vladimir Putin declined participation in the G8 summit in Camp David, as the process of forming the government would take place in the country then. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is to go for the meeting with the world leaders instead of him.

We remind that right after his taking office Vladimir Putin stated that Russia’s priority foreign policy objective would be integration with the countries of the Commonwealth.