Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: Destabilization can throw Belarus under the yoke again

MINSK, 22 February (BelTA) – If the situation in Belarus is destabilized, the country will “be put under the yoke” again, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he answered questions of cadets and professors of the Military Academy on 22 February, BelTA has learned.

“We need to focus on economy – this is a pillar of stability. Therefore, the main thing is not to lose stability, no matter how hard it might be. If we allow destabilization, then our country will be swallowed by someone else and we will be put under the yoke and exploited again. We will deserve it if we let it happen. But why should our children suffer?” the president asked.

The head of state underlined that the number one priority is to maintain peace, calm and stability. “It is not because I am afraid of something as the head of state. I have already had my share. During my first year of presidency, three months into office, the flour supply of Minsk was enough to last only for three days (I have told this story multiple times) and the subway went on strike; all the traffic came to a halt. I have been through the worst. Therefore, the most important things are peace and stability. This is what we cannot lose in the face of the global turmoil,” Alexander Lukashenko said. 

The president added that it is hard for Belarus to compete with global powers that have enough natural resources to meet domestic needs. “We just cannot fall behind. If we do, it will be the end; we will become someone else’s province. Therefore, new technology and energy sources are critical for us,” he believes.

“If we drop behind, we will perish. Therefore, we need stability. We need to keep working, keep running to catch up with these ‘behemoths’, otherwise they will get a firm grip on us and we will again play the second fiddle in some Great Duchy of Lithuania or Rzeczpospolita. I would not want it for our children, in particular, after we learned what a sovereign and independent state is,” the Belarusian leader said.

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