Villagers Go Against Arab Friends of Lukashenka

Residents of the Lahoisk district defend their land.

Inhabitants of Lahoisk villages of Krokva and Tsna cannot go to the forest and river, as there is a huge plot of land, leased for 99 years by the United Arab Emirates, Radio Svaboda informs.

The territory includes a residence, hunting areas, artificial reservoirs, hunting lodges and facilities for their maintenance, as well as objects of engineering and transport infrastructure. The area will also include a pumping station that is a part of the complex of hydraulic structures of an artificial reservoir.

LLC "KPI Special Projects" is the construction project owner. LLC Maysen is also related to construction.

The construction began in January 2018 and should have been finished in May 2019. However, it is buzzing with activity.

The workers are also dismantling the old blind fence around the construction site. The new net fence is being erected farther away from it.

Journalists face "no trespassing, private territory".

How villages are fenced off

The fence of the Arabian site lies near the village of Tsna and crosses the river. Trees are cut down on both sides. One can see the reservoir and buildings behind it.

According to one of the sources, the residence site is fenced off to keep animals and people away".

"The village of Tsna is being cut off. The area is fenced off".

Residents of Tsna will have access to one river bank at a certain place. If they cross the bridge, they will face the fence.

The residents of Krokva can go into the forest for three hundred meters, then the area will be closed.

"I am a citizen of Belarus, it's my land"

The residents of Krokva are concerned about the inability to go to the forest and swim in a river because of the fence.

"All the people are outraged. It says that this is the private territory. The best area with berries and mushrooms is blocked. The fence almost reaches the asphalt. The field was destroyed," one of the locals says. - I went behind the fence, but the guard kicked me out. It is not allowed to go there because now it's a private territory that is leased by a sheikh.

"This is national wealth. How can we give it to them?"

Liavon Kolos, Krokva resident: "I don't know what's going on here. The Arabs leased the forest for 99 years. This is national wealth. How can we give it to them?

The forest is cut down and a three-meter fence is erected. Why did they do that? What are they doing there? The road near the house is broken by trucks.

Local residents suffer a lot. Two artificial lakes are created. Houses are being built. If one approaches the fence, the guards order to go away. Earlier, it was possible to get to the forest through the gates, but one has to leave a knife and matches at the entrance. Besides, one could be in and out at the same place. But what if a person lost the way? Locals are angry".

"I was born here and have no access to the forest now"

Krokva resident: "The woods are fenced off. Trucks take away the forest. I was born here. But I cannot do anything"

"For official use"

At the construction site, the foreman Aliaksandr explained that he could not provide any information about the object.

Iryna Fadzeyeva, the chief forester of Lahoisk forestry enterprise, told Radio Svaboda that "the rented territory is being fenced".

"These are industrial lands, they are no longer belong to the forestry. These lands have been removed from the forest Lahoisk Forestry Fund".

The forestry informs that information about a leaser is "confidential".

"It's all for official use. Contact the competent bodies".

The Minsk Regional Executive Committee did not explain who rented the land either. The Lahoisk District Executive Committee says the information is confidential".

Several land plots in the Minsk region were given to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates

In 2013, the authorities allocated three sites to Qatar for 99 years based on documents "for official use".

25 hectares near the Dubrovno reservoir were allocated for a residence, and two plots of forest in the Lahoisk district with a total area of almost 25 square kilometers are provided for hunting grounds. The area allocated for the UAE is also located in the Lahoisk district.

One of them, about 15 square kilometers, is located near the urban-type settlement of Pleshchenitsy, Lahoisk district.

The second Qatari plot (about 23 square kilometers) is located near the village of Pogost and forestry of Lahoisk district. The rent for two plots costs about 701.5 thousand rubles per month.

The third plot, given to Qatar, is of 25 hectares and located on the bank of the Dubrovno reservoir in the Smalevichy district. The residence of this state will be built there. In 2013, the site was transferred to Qatar.

The UAE plot (about 32 square kilometers) is located near the villages of Krokva and Tsna, Lahoisk district. Since 2018, the annual rent is Br885,583.59. Another section of the UAE is located in the Barysau district.

The ruler of Belarus has visited the UAE royal prince several times. The eldest son of the Belarusian dictator, Viktar Lukashenka visits Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as well. He arrives at the final race of "Formula 1" at the invitation of the ruling family of the UAE.