MINSK, 18 October (BelTA) - Belarus was lucky to gain independence by peaceful means, President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during the meeting at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Belarus on 18 October, BelTA informs.
“We were lucky to keep our country stable by peaceful means after the collapse of the USSR. We created our own state in a calm and peaceful manner. This is a unique case. But we were tested as well. Fortunately, not by war. But those sanctions were bad. An economic war was waged against us,” the president said.
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, 15 new states emerged on the political map of the world after the disintegration of the USSR. “The world is a small place. All places were occupied, we had to find a place under the sun, i.e. to squeeze somebody, to step on somebody's foot, to affect somebody. Sure, it caused a reaction from them,” the president believed.
He emphasized that all citizens of Belarus, having different opinions, managed to build their state together. “We did it in a clam and peaceful manner, we overcame an economic war and blockage in the form of sanctions from the west, and not only the west. We have overcome those difficulties. It was a very serious test for us. We have come through everything. And we have done it without a war,” the Belarusian leader said.
Speaking about the policy of the west in relation to Belarus which has been changing recently, the head of state said that it is happening not because Belarus has taken a certain position regarding the events in Ukraine or anything like that. “The time has changed; they have found a reason to abolish those sanctions saving face. They understood long ago that it was wrong to introduce sanctions against us. They just wanted to oppress us for our allied position, for keeping allied relations between former Soviet republics,” Aleksandr Lukashenko believes.
In his words, he became president mostly by accident, but he is immensely grateful for people's support and trust. “I cannot give up on what happened 25 years ago. I will never give up on that. How can I betray it? I will never do it! Even if I lose everything, I will never betray that trust! Justice and people are the priorities of my policy,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
