MINSK, 14 July (BelTA) – Belarusian political parties, trade unions, and public associations have sent an address to the peoples of Lithuania and Latvia, BelTA has learned.
The address reads: “Connected by multiple episodes from the common history, multiple cultural, trade, economic, and family ties, our nations have lived in friendship and mutual understanding for centuries. It was always easy for hardworking and sensible Belarusians to understand thrifty and businesslike Latvians and Lithuanians. We lived in peace and friendship for so many years. We went to see each other. We sincerely congratulated each other on festivities and were proud of each other's accomplishments. We don't want to feud now either. Belarusians have never threatened you with anything. You have never had reasons to be afraid of anything from our side. How did it happen that ambitions of some representatives of the ruling elites in your countries placed on the brink of existence the friendship and mutual understanding of many centuries, economic and humanitarian cooperation? How could one imagine that Latvian politicians would remove the state flag of Belarus from a flagpole in the capital city, that Vilnius will become an official haven for those, who betrayed the Belarusian nation? Doesn't it seem to you, dear neighbors, that someone deliberately substitutes notions and meanings and drives a wedge between our countries? And it is not being done in Minsk.”
Authors of the address cannot comprehend the eagerness of some politicians and diplomats of Lithuania and Latvia to harm close neighbors and partners to satisfy bureaucrats from Brussels.
The address continues: “Biased mass media keep telling you that sanctions against Belarus are determined by care for the Belarusian nation, which allegedly needs protection and patronage. However, even people, who stay far from politics and economy, can easily see that the sanctions primarily affect common people, our families and kids. What kind of democracy and care for people is it? We don't need such ‘care'. We want to simply live in our own land and determine our fate on our own without external pressure. Short-sighted politicians from Vilnius and Riga call for tightening the economic noose on the neck of the Belarusian people. But you have to understand that the rule of the boomerang is still in effect. Sectoral sanctions against Belarus are already painful for the economies of your countries. The facts speak for themselves. For instance, Belarusian transit freight accounts for a third of the workload of the Klaipeda port. Belaruskali can easily reroute the bulk of its transit shipments while Lithuania will suffer losses if Belarusian potash is never again shipped via the Klaipeda port. It is likely it will be impossible to find a replacement. Why would you need then to spend hundreds of millions of euros on reconstructing the Klaipeda port if the cargoes the reconstruction is intended for go away?”
Authors of the address also believe that Lithuanian Railways will suffer, too. Belarusian freight accounts for a fourth of the railways' freight shipment. The Lithuanian Communications and Transport Ministry has already stated that the Lithuanian state railway company Lietuvos gelezinkeliai may lose 20% of freight turnover or up to €14 million in revenues per annum. From fertilizer transportation alone. One should also consider oil products, fees for using the railway infrastructure that make up dozens of millions of euros.
“Is it profitable for Lithuanians? It must be profitable for some other parties, who are neither Lithuanian nor Belarusian. Multiple other enterprises may be affected according to the domino effect. But everything could have been totally different and primarily ordinary people could have benefitted from constructive cooperation of the two countries. A vivid example is in plain view. Once the project to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant was born, Minsk invited Vilnius to jointly operate the nuclear power plant right away considering high prices for electricity in Baltic states. But Lithuanians started demanding the shutdown of the nuclear power plant instead. The nuclear power plant works in the end while Lithuania experiences electricity shortages and Lithuanians suffer from high prices for electricity,” the address reads. “In the past lots of Belarusian tourists flocked to the Vilnius airport, which was jokingly described as Minsk's third airport. Today the air carriers that fly around Belarus spend more time and fuel doing so. But only a short while ago before the coronavirus pandemic flights between Minsk and Riga were extremely popular. A short while ago the Latvian air carrier airBaltic intended to restore the frequency of these flights to three times a week. The Belarusian flag carrier Belavia intended to do the same. According to airBaltic CEO Martin Gauss, the Latvian air carrier will lose about €2 million per annum. Respectively the Lithuanian state budget will receive less in taxes from such a large taxpayer. The Vilnius-based Acropolis and other shopping center will receive less Belarusian money, too.”
The address reads that the Belarusian border guard had securely protected Lithuania from drugs trafficking and migrants from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Now Lithuania complains that the number of migrants traveling to the European Union in transit via Belarus has skyrocketed.
The address reads: “In the past we took care of protecting Lithuania from migrants. It is unlikely we can afford spending as much due to the sanctions. Anyway, cooperation with Belarus was very profitable for Lithuania and Latvia because it gave jobs to your families, replenished your state budgets, which pay salaries to medics and teachers, pensions to the elderly, and benefits to children. But money is not all there is to it. Having a good neighbor can bring happiness. A neighbor who can help at a time of need. A neighbor who treats neighbors as people instead of someone else's buffer zone. A neighbor who is convinced that God-given neighbors can be talked to and negotiated with. Belarus respects the European integration of Latvia and Lithuania because to determine the strategic course of one's own development is the sovereign right of independent states. For the same reason our country believed and still believes that Belarus has the right to expect the same respect for its own way of development.”
Authors of the address call upon the peoples of Lithuania and Latvia not to succumb to foreign influence and the influence of a bunch of fugitive politicians. “Everything is in your hands. We, Belarusians, would like to continue living in peace and accord with our countries and all nations. Come to Minsk, to any other Belarusian city to see the true life of the Belarusian people for yourselves. Don't be afraid. It is beautiful, calm, and safe here. It is not the country described by those, who persist in their desire to set us at odds with each other. We call upon you, dear friends, to convey these thoughts to the political leadership of your countries. Let us return the atmosphere of good neighborhood and mutual understanding to our common European region and look at each other as good neighbors, friends, and partners. Let's hear the voice of reason and genuine desires of our peoples! ” the address concludes.
The public association Patriots of Belarus, the public association Belaya Rus, the public association Belarusian Union of Women, the public association Belarusian Union of Journalists, the public association Union of Writers of Belarus, the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB), the Roundtable of Democratic Forces think tank, the association of public associations Belarusian Confederation of Creative Unions, the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus, and the Republican Labor and Justice Party also joined the address to the peoples of Lithuania and Latvia.
