Boris Gryzlov to become Russian Ambassador to Belarus – Znak

Boris Gryzlov, chairman of the United Russia Supreme Council, will become the new Russian ambassador to Belarus. The current ambassador Yevgeny Lukyanov will be recalled, told Znak.com source in the State Duma.

Gryzlov’s candidacy was approved on December 22 by the Duma Committee for CIS Affairs. This information confirmed RIA Novosti First Deputy Chairman of the Committee Konstantin Zatulin. The final decision on the approval of the candidacy for the post of Russian Ambassador to Belarus will be made by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to an interlocutor of Znak.com, Gryzlov is a “political heavyweight” who enjoys Putin’s confidence. “His appointment demonstrates the importance of cooperation between Russia and Belarus, speaks of an even greater rapprochement between our countries,” added a source in parliament. He did not rule out that the appointment of Gryzlov could be followed by the creation of a common parliament of the two states (the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Russia and Belarus is now headed by the speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin).

At the moment, Boris Gryzlov is the plenipotentiary representative of Russia in the contact group for resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine.

From 2001 to 2003, Gryzlov was the Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia, and a month after his appointment he was included in the Security Council of the Russian Federation. In 2007, he headed the Russian parliament. From 2004 to 2008, Gryzlov was the chairman of the United Russia party.