MINSK, 5 May (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made a few remarks about double standards in evaluations of the West during a recent interview with Associated Press, BelTA has learned.
In particular, Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned tragic events, which happened in Odessa in 2014: “Why did they burn people, who thought differently, in Odessa? And then they stated openly: ‘We've burned separatists'.” However, Western countries responded to it with silence, he remarked.
The West made various kinds of accusations targeting Aleksandr Lukashenko himself during the presidential election campaign in Belarus in 2020. However, no accusations concerning Western politicians are made in Western countries for some reason. Aleksandr Lukashenko referred to protests in France after preliminary results of a presidential election were announced. Police shot and killed two people then.
“People were killed in your Capitol. A woman who fought for the USA [a police officer shot and killed a U.S. Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt during 6 January 2021 events],” the head of state mentioned another example. “Why silence? Not quite fair it turns out.”
The president also referred to events in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria. He mentioned he had known Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein asked Aleksandr Lukashenko to convey the message via the embassy saying he did not want a war with America and was ready to negotiate, including oil deliveries. “He was ready. Why did you hang him?” the president asked a rhetorical question. “Let's talk about the Libyan and Syrian leaders. What about Afghanistan recently? What do you call that? When your aircraft [a U.S. military transport aircraft in the Kabul airport after the Taliban rose to power in August 2021] lifts off and people hanging on the fuselage and chassis drop on the ground? Wasn't it atrocious? What about that wedding? An ordinary wedding was going on when an American drone delivered a strike and killed people [U.S. Air Force wrongly carried out a strike at a house in Kakarak on 1 July 2002 where a wedding was taking place and killed about 40 people and injured over 70]. You said you were sorry later on but what good did it do? What do you call that?”
