Lukashenko assigns deputy prime ministerial powers to new Belarusian ambassador to Russia

MINSK. Aug 2 (Interfax) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has assigned deputy prime ministerial powers to new Ambassador to Russia Dmitry Krutoi, according to decree No. 260 dated August 1, published on the Belarusian national online database of legal documents.

"Dmitry Nikolayevich Krutoi shall be vested with powers as deputy prime minister of the Republic of Belarus as concerns the Republic of Belarus's functions within the Union State and relations with the Russian Federation," the decree says.

In exercising these powers, Krutoi shall represent Belarus in its contacts with Russian officials and government bodies and Union State bodies as concerns bilateral cooperation, submit proposals to the Belarusian government, national government bodies, regional executive committees, the Minsk city executive committee, and other government bodies and organizations as concerns trade-economic and investment cooperation with Russia, coordinate activities of national government bodies and other official organizations subordinated to the Belarusian government and Belarusian representatives in the Union State's bodies, issue mandatory instructions to them and control their implementation, and perform other duties in line with relevant legal acts, it said.

As deputy prime minister, Krutoi "shall be personally responsible for promoting the Republic of Belarus's national interests in the Union State and in relations with the Russian Federation," the decree says.

Yesterday, Lukashenko appointed Dmitry Krutoi as the new Belarusian ambassador to Russia. Concurrently, Krutoi will serve as plenipotentiary representative of the Republic of Belarus to the Economic Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States and special representative of the Republic of Belarus for integration in the Union State, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Krutoi replaced Vladimir Semashko as the Belarusian ambassador to Russia.