Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to Belgium's (lack of) government during a series of extensive interviews with Tass, the Russian state press agency.
A few weeks ago, Putin appointed a new government, which was completely unexpected to the public. Putin said that the decision had not been taken spontaneously, and was "neither unusual nor unexpected" as he said he had discussed then-Prime Minister Medvedev's resignation with him beforehand, reports Het Nieuwsblad.
Barely a few hours after the news of Medvedev's resignation, Putin appointed the relatively unknown head of the tax department, Mikhail Mishustin, as new prime minister.
He had to make this decision quickly, he said, in order to avoid chaos. "Russia is not Belgium, which can do without a government for a whole year," he said.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
