MINSK, 29 September (BelTA) - Belarus' Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the meeting of French President Emmanuel Macron with the former Belarus presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Vilnius. The relevant statement by Anatoly Glaz, Head of the Information and Digital Diplomacy Office, Press Secretary of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is available on the ministry's website, BelTA has learned.
“You know, we are not particularly surprised at the agenda of French President Macron's visit to the Lithuanian capital. There is a strong feeling that today Lithuania has a new attraction that has become a must-see. From a professional point of view, let me say that they should harbor no illusions. Some rushed contacts with strange people have no practical meaning and will not have. Diplomacy has many recognized civilized tools with which to conduct dialogue and defend interests. These tools are much more effective than trying to exert brutal pressure and impose your will on a neighbor,” Anatoly Glaz said
Belarus' foreign policy has always been based on international law and other understandable, logical principles, he said. It is the interests of the state and people, the interests of business, trade, security, infrastructure and so on. Such an open and clear position, according to the spokesman, is understandable to the partners of Belarus.
“A wise, critical researcher of our independent foreign policy will confirm that it is also based on the values associated with the principles of international law. Given this, it is difficult for us, for example, to comment on our Baltic neighbors' illogical emotional gestures that sometimes border on hysteria. They have extended the sanctions lists... Well, today, as promised, we are also imposing symmetrical restrictive measures against each of these countries. We've said that this is a downward spiral launched by individual Lithuanian politicians. We will continue to respond, but we will never initiate such steps. Who is going to benefit from this? Maybe, [Lithuanian Foreign Minister] Linkevicius himself who would do anything to be noticed before the upcoming elections. This will not affect his salary, unlike the income of Lithuanian businessmen and taxpayers who are bound with the neighboring country by joint projects, deals and investments,” Anatoly Glaz noted.
Lithuania welcomed about 600,000 Belarusian visitors last year alone who spent almost €1 billion in that country, Anatoly Glaz noted. Belarus uses more than a third of the Lithuanian Railways' capacity annually. “I can go on and on. Although, probably, these are small figures on the geopolitical scale of some Lithuanian politicians. But we will not be able to understand how one can make such flawed steps for the sake of some ephemeral ambitions,” he stressed.
