MINSK, 11 September (BelTA) – The language issue cannot be used to divide the society, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko told media on 11 September, BelTA has learned.
“Why do we want to learn English, Spanish, Italian, but not Russian? This is the question for some of our opposition. The Russian language is not foreign to us. This is not just my opinion. This is the opinion of the majority of Belarusians,” the President noted.
Alexander Lukashenko underlined that the Russian language is also important as a means of international communication among the countries of the post-Soviet space. Everybody speaks and understands Russian. “If we start drawing dividing lines in the language issue, this will lead to bad consequences, not only in the relations between Russia and Belarus,” Alexander Lukashenko said.
The President noted that historically, in Belarus the majority has spoken Russian. However, this does not prevent the country from developing its national language and supporting the Belarusian identity.
“Russian is our language too. It is a living phenomenon, and we have made a huge contribution to it too,” the head of state added.