Belarus leader praises Moscow's "beautiful" Georgia operation

"Everything was done excellently -- very calmly, wisely and beautifully," Lukashenko told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at a meeting at the Russian leaders Black Sea coastal residence in Sochi.

Lukashenko, dubbed in the West "Europe’s last dictator," told Medvedev he appreciated "the wisdom you showed in response to aggression from a neighboring state," RIA Novosti reported.

The Belarussian leader also urged more work to build on a "union state" accord that exists between Belarus and its giant neighbor, although he left the matter vague.

"The time for simple steps and solutions is over and we need to think how to act more effectively in this area," Lukashenko said.

Lukashenko’s visit came after Moscow’s ambassador to Minsk sharply criticized the Belarussian leadership on Aug. 12 for maintaining a "modest silence" over Russia’s assault on southern neighbor Georgia.

Russia says its incursion deep into Georgian territory was justified as a defense of Russian citizens in the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Lukashenko first pushed for a "union state" with Russia in the 1990s in a move many commentators saw as a bid to become head of both states.

Since then he has sometimes accused Russia of trying to take over Belarus.

While maintaining close economic and political ties to Moscow, the Belarussian leader has also made overtures to the West, particularly since a 2006 presidential poll heavily criticized by Western observers.

On Saturday, Belarus’s highest-profile political prisoner, opposition leader Alexander Kozulin, was released from jail after heavy pressure by Western powers for him to be freed.