On December 21, Moscow /BelTA correspondent/. Russia has recognized the elections in Belarus, stated State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Grigory Karasin in a conversation with the US Ambassador to Moscow John Byerly. This was reported to a BelTA correspondent by the foreign policy department following a telephone conversation between the diplomats. Grigory Karasin reaffirmed the principled position outlined by the President of Russia, according to which the presidential elections in Belarus are primarily its internal affair and that Belarus will always be one of the closest states for Russia. The Deputy Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry also noted that the mission of observers from the CIS recognized the elections held as compliant with generally accepted democratic standards. -E-

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