Mikalai Statkevich: Lukashenka Put Up For Tender Belarus’ Independence

Statements by the dictator that there would be no Russian air base in Belarus are a lie.

The former presidential candidate and a political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich said in the interview to Radio Svaboda that Alyaksandr Lukashenka is opening new bargaining.

“These talks [about the airbase] had been conducted in fact,” he said. “Even in prison I had read about that, about statements of Russian military servicemen. Even Russia’s Defence Minister arrived mostly to pick the place for that base. That it, there had been discussions. That is why mister Lukashenka is lying when he says that talks about that had been never conducted.

Why is he pretending now that it had never been discussed? First of all, that’s because it’s elections period now. Though they do not count votes, he didn’t want to cause more negative reaction from people. It’s for people not to have an additional reason to participate in protest rallies.

Secondly, he has a hope to receive recognition of the elections from the West, so he wouldn’t like to frighten the West now.

Thirdly, if this man is selling something, he always raises prices. It means that a threat to independence have emerged, it has been put out for a tender. It’s simply a method of bargaining. Soon the “elections” are to finish, and it is to turn out that the talks had been conducted, and the decision is to be passed. And the only thing which is not known for sure, is how much he would charge for it.”

As said by Mikalai Statkevich, the society is alarmed by the plans to deploy the Russian airbase on the territory of Belarus, and “it does not add to the popularity of mister Lukashenka.”