Russian ambassador tries to break official Minsk's silence again

Officials in Minsk have voiced no statement yet in respond to Russia's decision to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia as separate nations. 

The similar silence during the recent war in Georgia was broken by Russian ambassador in Minsk Alexander Surikov who expressed surprise that the Belarusian authorities offered no support to Russia.

Surikov today said in a statement that "Russia hopes that Belarus as the closest ally will recognise the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia".

He noted that it was Belarus's right to recognise or not the independence of Georgia's breakaway republics.

It appears that South Ossetia and Abkhazia could in the future enter the 'union state of Belarus and Russia". According to Surikov, they should be at least recognised by the Republic of Belarus, reports the Interfax news agency.