Opinions & Interviews
Lukashenko: Belarus seeks peace, not war
MINSK, 18 December (BelTA) – Belarusians do not need war; our happiness lies in a peaceful life, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he addressed the Belarusian people and Parliament in Minsk on 18 December, BelTA has learned.
“We are doing everything to prevent war. We have had our fill of wars. The generation that fought the past war hasn't even passed yet. We do not need war. Our happiness lies in a peaceful life. We do not want to sit in swamps and dugouts again. To prevent that from happening, we must be strong,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized. “The world is like this today. It has always been like this: the strong command respect everywhere. Therefore, we must be strong.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that sanctions against Belarus were not imposed because of “dictatorship”. He pointed out that many Eastern countries are far from being democratic regimes, yet the West finds it beneficial to befriend them. And money flows there like a river.
“Right now, there is a fierce competition. Everyone understands that the economy comes first. And in this competition, a ruthless effort to strangle competitors has begun. If not with weapons (well, how can you wage war against Belarusians or against Russians - that would mean waging war against a major nuclear power), then they have started to strangle with sanctions. We see various minor incidents: a tanker with oil was blown up, other strikes were carried out. It's like a mosquito biting an elephant: yes, unpleasant, yes, damaging, but we will endure. But before you blow up a tanker with Russian oil, think about what will happen afterward,” the president said. “Therefore, the situation is difficult today, but we must endure.”
The head of state recalled how sanctions were imposed against Belarus following the Ryanair flight incident. “I did everything possible to explain: guys, the plane was flying to Vilnius, it was over Vilnius. Land it in Vilnius. There was a bomb threat. Why did you turn it around away from Vilnius and start landing this plane in Belarus?” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked on the absurdity of the situation.
On board that plane was Roman Protasevich, who, as it recently turned out, was working for Belarusian intelligence services. Therefore, to avoid exposing their agent, the authorities had to detain him as if he were a real criminal. “That was the purpose of the operation. You imposed sanctions. Now you should apologize and revoke them,” the president said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also drew attention to the active militarization of European countries. For instance, Brussels allocated €44 billion in financial assistance to Poland for the purchase of arms and military equipment. In addition, the United States contributed another $11 billion. For the Baltic states, the European Commission approved a dedicated loan of approximately €15 billion.
“Is this a defensive budget? They are purchasing enormous quantities of weapons. Our self-exiled opposition laments the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus. But where would we get $50 billion to arm ourselves like that? We don't have that kind of money and never will. Therefore, we must have such a 'gun' and they must know we are prepared to use it. So that they won't dare come here,” the head of state noted.
print version
make home page
add to bookmarks
