Former ambassador to Minsk Mikhail Babich became first deputy minister of Oreshkin

Former Ambassador to Belarus Mikhail Babich has become First Deputy Minister of Economic Development Mikhail Oreshkin, the latter said on social networks. The appointment order was signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev over the weekend, RBC specified in the press service of the ministry.

In June, Babich moved to the Ministry of Economic Development to the position of Oreshkin's deputy for interaction with the CIS and issues of the Union State with Belarus. “Mikhail Babich, after being appointed to the Ministry of Economics, showed himself from the best side!” Oreshkin wrote.

Babich was fired from his post as ambassador to Belarus at the end of April, having headed the Russian diplomatic mission in Minsk since August last year. Dmitry Mezentsev, a member of the Federation Council from the Sakhalin Region, was appointed to this post.

The dissatisfaction of the Belarusian authorities, as noted by the media, was caused by Babich's words about the need for further rapprochement between the two states. According to Vedomosti , the cause of the conflict was the blocking of schemes for illegal supplies of goods from Belarus for $3 billion.