MINSK, 5 March (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has responded to speculations alleging that he has some kind of a personal palace. The head of state promised that if someone finds anything of this kind, he will certainly invite the media there and show it to the public. The president commented on these speculations as he visited Motovelo Plant on 5 March, BelTA has learned.
“In this regard I want to say the following: I am watching these fugitives, we know all their plans. Now they are pushing for sanctions, including sanctions against Motovelo Plant, while we seek to sell bicycles to the European Union and other places. Well, they [opponents of the authorities who call for sanctions] are the ones to thank for sanctions. Their number one objective is to make people take to the streets by the spring,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
He went on saying that one of the hoaxes used to rock the boat in Belarus was modeled on the story about the Russian palace allegedly belonging to Vladimir Putin: “This story caused a huge wave of anger, right? They thought that was exactly what they needed to do in Belarus – to find some ‘Lukashenko's palaces'. If there is ‘Putin's palace', then there should be ‘Lukashenko's palace' that should be exposed and used to spark a widespread outrage.”
The head of state noted that the authors of the announced material about the palace are lying and there is evidence exposing this lie. When they were discussing the material, one of them said that Lukashenko actually did not have palaces, and another one replied that this did not matter, because the more colossal a lie was, the more likely people were to believe in it. “Well, like fascists,” the president stated. He stressed that ‘we are in control of the situation, we are in the loop'.
“They got to the point when they started making photos of big private houses. Thus, whatever they show, whatever the film is, I promise you that I will invite you and show it to you personally,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said addressing the journalist who asked about the palace.
“I want you to understand: I have been working as president for a quarter of a century, and if I had billions, as they say, or palaces, I would have been ripped apart. Therefore, if someone finds Lukashenko's palace, go ahead and start living there. I am saying it publicly. I have not stolen anything from my state, I have not taken anything,” the Belarusian leader stressed.
“I want to say that I do own a ‘palace' – it is a 7x8m2 hut where I grew up with my mother. This is my palace. Nothing else. Everything else belongs to the state,” the president said.
He noted that the opponents of the government are trying to do everything in order to destroy the country, and their main target is the president. “They need to stir up tensions. But how to do it? Find some damaging information about the authorities, especially the one who is in charge, that is the president. That's what their entire agenda is about. Everything is being done to destroy the country. Ukraine has collapsed. All the post-Soviet republics along the perimeter have collapsed, but Belarus is still holding on. They know very well, excuse my immodesty, that we are holding on mostly because Lukashenko is on their way. Therefore, they seek to overthrow him,” the head of state said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko added: “There is something else I would want to tell you… The KGB will soon inform you how much TNT and plastic explosives has been smuggled into the country. Specialists know these things. It is not [Nikolai] Avtukhovich's group [a domestic terrorist cell which operation has recently been suppressed by law enforcement]. These are new people. It is good they have been locked up. They had lots of weapons. What for?”
