Russia may include Belarusians in cosmonaut training, space station programs - Lukashenko

MINSK. May 29 (Interfax) - Belarusians may join Russia's cosmonaut training program and space station project, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said, referring to an agreement with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

"The Russian president told me I can join [construction of the Russian space station] if I want, so that we build it together. As much as possible. We will think about it. If our smart people decide to do this, we will participate. But this is not our main objective. We need to preserve our own sector," the Belarusian state-run news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenko as saying during a working trip to Orsha on Wednesday.

Belarus has had its own niche in the space industry, various kinds of satellites and microelectronics, since the Soviet era, he said.

"As for the continuation of flights, there is an agreement that Russia may include Belarusians in the ranks of cosmonauts, if necessary. They will be trained on a permanent basis, as opposed to rapid training with long-term tasks and a program," Lukashenko said.