Russian mass media charged Lukashenka with betrayal

After yesterday’s statements of Russian Ambassador to Belarus Alyaksandr Surikov about incomprehensible “silent” position of the official Minsk during the Russian-Georgian war, Russian mass media started to charge Belarusian leadership with “disloyalty”.

A Russian on-line newspaper “Vzglyad” has published an article “An individual case of betrayal”.

“By defiantly keeping silent about events in Southern Ossetia, Alyaksandr Lukashenka stated that he wants to improve relations with the US. It is an individual case of betrayal,” the newspaper writes.

“Taking into account the informational war unleashed by Western press, international support of actions in South Ossetia is very valuable for Russia now. However, Moscow didn’t received words of support, or condolences or humanitarian initiatives from the key ally, Minsk,” the newspaper claims.

As we have informed, Russia's ambassador to Minsk, Alexander Surikov has expressed misunderstanding by absence of clear response from Belarusian regime to Russian-Georgian conflict.

As said by Surikov, over the whole period of time of the conflict “only a statement of Foreign Ministry’s minor official” has taken place from the Belarusian side.

“We, Russia, have always shared your distress in international organisations, including when economic sanctions are imposed; when on initiative of some countries international organisations start to discuss absence of human rights in Belarus. Vocal statements by Russia always follow after that,” A. Surikov noted. The Ambassador has underlined that “the shy and quiet keeping silence puzzled us”.

Some Russian MPs have expressed a similar position. Thus, the first Vice Speaker of the State Duma of Russia Lubov Slizka, answering to the question whether Georgia’s withdrawal from the CIS would affect the activities of the Commonwealth, she said: “Russia should draw conclusion whether it needs such a CIS, where everybody kept silent; their behaviour was estranged.” Slizka particularly noted a “silent position” of Belarus.

“The reaction of Minsk was unexpected. No apologizes, no condolences followed post factum. On the contrary, after listening to the report of Foreign Minister of the country Syarhei Martynau about the situation at the main directions of the foreign policy of the country, Alyaksandr Lukashenka called to improve relations with the US and the EU,” the Russian newspaper writes.

The article is finished by a warning that beginning wit the next year Russian gas will cost 200 dollars for Belarus. “On July 7 the Ambassador of Russia stated that the existing contracts on gas deliveries to Belarus are to be kept. The contract is signed. It is dangerous to cancel the contract, and there are no other suppliers of gas,” the Ambassador said. In this way he responded to a recent statement of the first deputy minister of Belarus Uladzimir Syamashka about an intention to review terms of gas deliveries,” the newspaper writes.