Lukashenka: Western partners demand political confessions, but won’t see them

Ahead of consideration of the issue on EU sanctions, the Belarusian dictator said he wouldn’t fulfil any political and economic demands.

As Interfax reports, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said this on November 2 at a cabinet session on foreign policy.

The ruler noted he was not going to sacrifice cooperation with Russia to advantages of integration with the EU. “We are not going to befriend the European Union against the interests of other nations and contrariwise,” the Belarusian ruler said.

As Lukashenka noted, relations with the European Union are “one of the fundamental factors in ensuring the independence, sovereignty, economic and technological advance of Belarus”. He also added: “it doesn’t mean that Belarus will sacrifice the social and political stability and the current level of cooperation with Russia and other states in order to gain advantages of tighter integration with the European Union.”

“It must be clearly understood that Belarus is not a beggar in the system of European relations,” Alyaksandr Lukashenka said.

He said Belarus is a reliable and proven partner of the EU in ensuring regional stability and security, transit of energy and trans-European cargoes. Lukashenka also said about a significant contribution of Belarus to combating all forms of cross-border crime and illegal migration.

“So, the EU is as useful for us as our country is for Europe,” Lukashenka said.

According to him, “we can’t allow participation in European processes to cancel all benefits from integration CIS member states, in particular with Russia.” In this respect, “We need a balanced and phased approach to follow our course in foreign policy and foreign economy.”

Lukashenka emphasized: “We shouldn’t expect gifts and preferences from Russia and, moreover from West.”

Lukashenka said: “Our partners demand concession, either political or economic, for every step they make towards Belarus.”

Lukashenka stated: “Some European capitals continue moving by inertia in relations with Belarus applying political and economic leverages.”

“A range of restrictions, rather essential for our country, remain in force,” the Belarusian ruler said.

A probation period the European Union gave to the Belarusian authorities expires in November. Depending on the democracy situation in Belarus, it will be decided in November whether the EU sanctions on the Belarusian regime to be prolonged or lifted. The Belarusian authorities should release political prisoners, stop repressions against opposition, give freedom to the mass media and NGOs, change the Electoral Code to carry out free and democratic elections in the country. None of these conditions has been fulfilled so far.