“Only an idiot could say that Lukashenka has turned to the West”

The Belarusian dictator has confessed that he has finished the procedure of signing documents on creation of the Collective Operational Reaction Forces (CORF) of the Collective Security Treaty organisation (CSTO) – military groupings which have already been called “punitive”.

“We have completed all procedures relating to the signing of the document… We will make up for everything we owe to this organization (chairmanship),” Alyaksandr Lukashenka said at a press-conference for regional media, Interfax informs.

Answering the question why he refused to take part in the CSTO summit in June this year, Lukashenka stated that the CSTO has nothing to do with that. As said by him, in the situation which had shaped then, he wouldn’t go to the CIS summit or a session of the Supreme Council of the “union state”.

“I was forced to cancel my visit to Moscow in an emphatic manner,” Lukashenka stated, referring to the period of the “milk war”.

“Out of pure prejudice to bend us or to bow us down, Russia was keeping our milk products on the border,” Lukashenka said. “It was subjectivity, an attack against our state”.

Medvedev was delighted

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev was delighted by the West 2009 operative strategic army exercise, Lukashenka stated at the press-conference today.

“The president of the Russian Federation was delighted by what he saw,” A. Lukashenka said. “We have worked out all the questions, all variants. So I was satisfied,” the Belarusian leader noted, answering the question about his impressions of the West 2009 exercise.

A. Lukashenka remarked that such drills failed to occur with the previous leadership of Russia. “We have approached about five times the idea to hold such joint exercises; my first proposal was to Yeltsin. “Last time we agreed with Vladimir Putin, when he was a president, to hold such drills and invite our friends from the CSTO. Such exercises have already been prepared already, and Russian tanks were sent to firing ranges of Belarus. But at the last moment Russian president didn’t come to the exercises, and I had to carry out the exercise myself. Thanks goodness, Russians stayed, and their troops took part in that,” he added.

“The new president of Russia has kept his word,” he noted.

Lukashenka has also stated that the joint exercises demonstrate that Belarus hasn’t turned away fro Russia. As said by him, “if we turned to the West from Russia”, such exercises wouldn’t be held.

“These exercises have not been held with the US, with the NATO, but with our Russians. And only an idiot can say after that, that Lukashenka has turned to the West or to some other direction, and abandoned Russia,” the Belarusian president said.

“This fact (holding joint exercises) demonstrates that we are a single state indeed, if we act as one state in such a sensitive matter,” he added.

As said by Lukashenka, the West 2009 exercise was held at a huge territory, from the Baltic Sea to Ashuluk firing range in Astrakhan region of Russia. “I am very pleased by these exercises,” Lukashenka added.

“South Ossetia and Abkhazia’s independence should have been recognized long ago”

Lukashenka has also touched upon the issue of South Ossetia and Abkhazia’s independence recognition.

“The ally has only itself to thank for it. Someone in Russia wanted to bow us down. Central mass media controlled by state officials, started a real targeting of us,” he said.

The president reminded that he was ready to recognize these break-away republics, and during his visit to Lithuania, said “no matter what has happened there, we should support our ally (Russia)”.

Lukashenka added that “the mechanism of recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Belarus had been brought to information of the European Union, but an attack on Belarus in Russian media started.

“Maybe some people in Russia didn’t want us to recognize them (the republics) at all,” Lukashenka stated. “They simply started proper mud flinging against us in the press. Ha! He has not recognized, as he hadn’t been given $500 million loan. As if I am to recognize these republics for money!” the leader of the state said.

As said by him, “the wave started exactly the moment when we were to recognize these republics,” and the leaders of Russia knew about that situation.

“I said: it won’t happen so in this situation. Everything was done for everybody knows who to receive some [ political] capital: they have been bowed down, and they agreed to recognized!” A. Lukashenka said.

“And I have said to both of them: guys, you have created such a situation ourselves, so you have to bear. I do not want to speak more concretely, as it is a very delicate topic,” the president added.

A pause in adopting a decision has been explained by the leader of the state by the fact that the situation after the conflict of Russia and Georgia needed careful analysis.

“Recognition is a serious act. All the CIS republics have flatly refused to recognize [independence]”. “but we’ll work it out,” the Belarusian ruler summed up.

He noted that he finds it necessary to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and now the relations of Belarus with these republics are “established as of a state with other states”.