MINSK, 18 October (BelTA) – Belarus has never sought to join the European Union and has never had such an idea, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he visited the Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the Belarusian president on 18 October, BelTA has learned.
The head of state stressed that such was his answer to the question of one of representatives of the EU. “Neither I nor my government have had such a goal. Since they have asked such a question, it means they had thought about it. If we joined the European Union today, they would have no problems with us at all,” he said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said that he has access to various kinds of information, including the classified one: “Our intelligence services once gave me a report on how they [the European Union, the West] assessed Belarus. I was impressed (it was some two years ago) to learn that they see Belarus as the most advanced country in Eastern Europe ready to join the EU without the need to amend the legislation.”
The president believes that even death penalty in Belarus is not a barrier to dialogue today. “If people vote for its abolition, we will do it. We had a referendum. Do you think it makes me happy to sign a death penalty sentence and know that a person is executed after that? I do not need this. People voted for it and under the constitution it is the duty of the president in any state which has death penalty,” the Belarusian leader said.
In his words, every time the theme of death penalty is raised, he cites examples of horrific murders, including those of children.
