Foreign Ministry of Belarus submitted a complaint to Russia for the speech of the director of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies Leonid Reshotnikov, Ria Novosti reports.

On December 22, 2016, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian Embassy counselor in Belarus Vadim Gusev and expressed a dissatisfaction in regard to the expressions made by Reshotnikov.

"The Belarusian side has given a principled assessment of those groundless and totally unacceptable statements. They do not comply with Russian-Belarusian’s true relations, as well as the principles on which the cooperation between our brotherly nations, respect for our sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity is based," reads the statement of the Belarus Foreign Ministry.

According to media Reshotnikov stated, that Byelorussian was created in 1926   by the decision of Belarusian Trade Union Confederation’s Bureau of the Central Committee, whereas the existence of independent Belarus "distorts the history."

Earlier, the Information Minister of Belarus Lilia Ananich called on the Russian authorities to take measures in respect of the information resources that cast doubt on the country's sovereignty.