Opinions & Interviews
Lukashenko: Unlike West, Belarus knows how to build bridges
MOSTY, 2 November (BelTA) – Belarusian officials, unlike those in the West, understand that despite all the contradictions the most important thing is to know how to build bridges, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a ceremony to honor agricultural workers at the Dazhynki 2024 festival in Mosty on 2 November, BelTA has learned.
The head of state emphasized that Belarus is a clean, safe and comfortable country and foreigners like to pay visits here. “They go here despite all the lies spread about Belarus,” the president said. “I have said many times that people should not suffer because of the stupidity of their leaders.”
Belarus has responded to sanctions and restrictions on the entry of its trucks, trains, planes and cars with a visa-free waiver for citizens of hundreds of countries, the president said. The head of state said that when he made this decision, he recalled his first presidential election which started from Grodno Oblast. “I remember when our Poles, Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians, Jews and Tatars asked me to ensure the possibility to move freely across the border,” he said.
The president admitted that he was surprised that such a request was addressed to him at the time, as there were pro-Western politicians among his rivals. Why didn’t they solve those issues being part of the government? It is simple: they promised, but did not deliver. “I vowed then that this simple issue would be solved in the first year of my presidency. I did it on a first-priority basis. W opened the border,” the head of state recalled.
The decision made many everyday issues easier to perform, he said. It became easier to visit the graves of relatives, to meet with relatives and friends.
“We do everything possible to improve conditions. We do not fence off. Just ask others, ask self-exiled opposition, your friends, who in 2020 strolled around Grodno Oblast, carrying white-red-white flags. What policy do they pursue there? They keep asking their handlers, governments for more sanctions against us. It has even gotten to the point that our businessmen, who enter Poland and other countries, are seized there and are demanded to give money,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
About a million people have already been able to see for themselves that Belarus really has a dictatorship, the president said. “It is a dictatorship of stability, security, order, kindness and hospitality. A dictatorship of justice. We may have not done everything yet. Any president who will lead the country in the near future should do everything necessary within five years to ensure the fairest country. I always say that people serve time in jail in any country. We however cannot offend even those who have broken the law. They should understand that the taken decision is fair and just. The main thing is justice. We must create such a country,” the Belarusian leader said.
“Unlike Western officials, we understand that with all the contradictions, even if we are on different shores, the most important thing is to be able to build bridges. We have always done this and will continue to do so,” the head of state added.
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