Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych will meet with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko during an official visit to Minsk on Thursday, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus has said.

"A one-day visit by Yanukovych to Minsk is planned for April 29," the spokesman said. He did not elaborate on the details of the visit.

The meeting was agreed during a telephone conversation between the Ukrainian and Belarusian leaders in March.

In early April, the Belarusian parliament ratified an agreement on the demarcation of the border between the neighboring countries, putting an end to a long-lasting dispute between Kiev and Minsk over the issue.

The agreement was signed by the sides in 1997, but the Belarusian parliament delayed its ratification, requesting Ukraine to first pay off its debt to Belarus, which has been in place since the middle of the 1990s.

The issue was settled during a visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to Kiev in November last year.

The hard-line Belarusian leader, who has been in office since 1994, said on Tuesday he is weary of work and would feel "no fear" if his successor were to be found.

Presidential elections are due in the former Soviet state in February 2011.

MINSK, April 29 (RIA Novosti)

Source:

http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100429/158793787.html

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