Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko invites opposition to come, fight at presidential election

MINSK, 10 September (BelTA) – If opponents want to turn the country upside down and prove they are right, they should come and fight at the presidential election and explain their anti-Belarusian stance to the people. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement during the government conference held on 10 September to discuss topical domestic policy matters and preparations for political campaigns, BelTA has learned.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “As always, I simply want to give them advice: if they want to turn the country upside down and participate in the presidential election, prove they are right or something else, then they need to come and fight at the presidential election. Without street riots, without machine guns, assault rifles, and sanctions. They should come and explain why they ‘care’ for Belarus so much and why they fight against the country. Why they are planning an armed invasion into Belarus’ territory.”

The head of state remarked that the government is in possession of a large number of such facts and all of them should be revealed to the public. “We need to explain what they are planning and cite concrete facts. Because we usually just pile up everything and do nothing about it. We need to show the facts so that people would know the opposition’s stance. We have a bunch of materials after all, testifying that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Pavel Latushko and the rest call for sanctions to choke Belarus and wish death upon us. We have all of that. This is why [the opposition] should explain to Belarusians why they are pursuing such a policy ahead of a presidential election,” the Belarusian leader noted.

The president also pointed out that the opponents abroad constantly beg for money from various bodies in order to finance their activities. Those bodies are ready to allocate the funding but only to achieve concrete goals: “From the U.S. Department of State, from Poles, other people in the European Union. When they are asked why, they say they will bury Belarus in mass media. They are told that it has been tried already and no money will be allocated for it, that money will be allocated only for armed operations in Belarus’ territory.”

“Well, I’ve already said that we are waiting for them. They don’t even have to warn us from where they intend to attack. We know it very well,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said in response.

He stressed that those, who are in favor of such actions, will have to stand before the people of Belarus and explain it. “If you want the people to at least understand what you want if not support you,” the Belarusian leader noted.

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