MYADEL DISTRICT, 2 August (BelTA) – While talking to journalists on 2 August, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the economic aspect was not the main reason why Belarus introduced the visa waiver for residents of the EU countries neighboring Belarus, BelTA has learned.
“We must feed our people, meet the domestic needs for foodstuffs. People from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland come here, they want to buy something. Let them buy it. These are finished products [agricultural products], and the retail sector will earn something on this. On the one hand we will make money on this, on the other hand, we will help people. People will appreciate it. They won't fight against us,” the Belarusian leader said.
According to him, some opposition media outlets and others argue that the president of Belarus introduced the visa waiver because of economic considerations, in order to earn money. “Who doesn't want to make money after all? The state wants to, and I want to. But that's not the main thing. The main thing is to make our neighbors see that normal people live next to them. People here look like Poles, and they are not aggressive, they are ready to help out in times of need. When our neighbors see this, they will not be belligerent against us. This is important,” the head of state explained.
