MINSK, 22 November (BelTA) – I do not care whether I am considered legitimate in the West or not, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview with the BBC on 19 November, BelTA has learned.
The journalist, in particular, asked how Germany's acting Chancellor Angela Merkel had addressed the Belarusian head of state during their earlier phone calls.
“Why are you worrying about this? Mr President in Belarus is also Mr Lukashenko. Listen, I couldn't care less about what you think of the President of Belarus in the EU. It was not the EU that elected me. You have not recognized me as the president for a quarter of a century. The Belarusian people elect me. So for me it is important how I am seen by my own people. As for her addressing me, I of course, can tell you this. You will not be happy with it. Take a stenograph from Germans and look how she addressed me. Only ‘Mr Presdient'. I addressed her ‘Mrs Chancellor'” he said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also drew parallels with the events during the last presidential election in the USA: “You'd better figure out how you will communicate with Biden. Is he legitimate for you or not? From my point of view he is illegitimate. You saw what happened during the election. Even you, the BBC, CNN showed what was going on there: voting by mail, putting ballots in the trash, in the trash cans, containers and so on. I am making parallels so that you can understand that I do not care about what people in England or the United States or the European Union think of me today.
