MINSK, 16 December (BelTA) – To address global-scale problems, including drug trafficking, what we need is thoughtful and coordinated actions of different countries, not military operations, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview with the U.S. media company Newsmax, BelTA has learned.
The discussion of current difficulties in U.S.-Venezuela relations also addressed the issue of drug trafficking from Latin American countries into the United States.
The head of state noted that alongside the drug trade, there are other global problems, including human trafficking, sex exploitation and illegal arms trade. “These are the realities of our time. We must fight them. But you cannot defeat drugs with missiles,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.
Aleksandr Lukashenko supports the United States and President Donald Trump in their determination to combat illegal migration and drug trafficking. “Trump deserves credit for bringing this issue to the forefront,” the Belarusian president believes. He simultaneously emphasized, however, the unique nature of such challenges and the impossibility of achieving sustainable, long-term results either unilaterally or through the sole use of force. “The fight against this problem will continue after us. Our children will fight against it. This is a new phenomenon in a new era. You cannot defeat it with missiles. We must agree on joint actions. We must define joint measures of fighting it,” the head of state is convinced.
The problem of drug trafficking is relevant for Belarus, Russia, and the entire European region. To solve it, it is necessary to understand the causes and adopt well-considered measures. “Drugs flow from Asian East through Russia, through Belarus, into enlightened Europe, into the ‘Garden of Eden’. Why do they go there? Because they are in high demand there, more than anywhere else,” the president explained. “There is a high demand, so the drugs flow.” And from European Union countries, synthetic drugs travel in the opposite direction.
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, Belarus has put up a strong barrier at the border against drug trafficking and wages an uncompromising fight against this evil inside the country. Nevertheless, it has not been possible to completely eliminate it. To achieve this, joint actions by all European countries are needed, as was the case before Europeans closed their border with Belarus and imposed sanctions.“We used to work closely with the Europeans, the Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians and Ukrainians to fight against drug trafficking. We intercepted them here and burned them by tonnes. That kind of cooperation doesn't exist now. I'm not going to protect them against this,” the president said. “If someone threw a noose around your neck to hang you, would you protect those who decided to execute you? Am I supposed to protect Europe in this situation? Why should I? They are strangling me, and I'm supposed to protect them against drugs?”
Drawing analogies with the situation between the United States and Venezuela, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that it would be better for the parties to find a compromise. “This problem [drug trafficking] is not Venezuelan, not Afghan. It is global. And the approach must be systemic and involve all countries along the transit routes,” he concluded. “It is a planetary problem that we must fight. Not with missiles. We must seek, perhaps, new methods. We need to act smart, not wage war,” the head of state stated.
The president, responding to the journalist's question, cast doubt on the objectivity of the U.S. data regarding the volume of drug trafficking from Venezuela. He also dismissed any involvement of Nicolás Maduro in such activities: “You don't have such facts, and neither do I. I don't believe that's the case.”
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