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05 March 2019, 13:29

Lukashenko slams attempts to misrepresent his statements made during Big Conversation

MINSK, 5 March (BelTA) – There are attempts in the Russian media space to produce fake news by decontextualizing and distorting the statements made during the recent Big Conversation with the President event, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at a session to discuss integration projects and cooperation with European organizations on 5 March, BelTA has learned.

“This became particularly pronounced following the Big Conversation – fake news, one-sided reporting, attempts to quote statements, first of all my statements, out of context and interpret them any way they like in the Russian Federation,” the head of state said.

To illustrate his point, the president cited speculations around a possibility to introduce a common currency for Belarus and Russia. This was presented in a way as if the Belarusian head of state gave a go-ahead for this move. “Before you agree on something, you should receive a proposal. If such a suggestion is made, you can agree or disagree, or reject it. Neither I nor Belarus were approached with such a proposal. Answering a question, I supposed that if this question is raised, Belarusians will not be against the common ruble. However, this is not the point. The big question is how to manage processes on the currency and financial markets, what kind of emission center we will have. It does not matter where it will be located. It is important what kind of functions it will assume. Those were my considerations,” the president said.

Alexander Lukashenko believes that before we speak about the common ruble, we need to advance in resolving issues at a lower level. “Today nearly 80% of our trade with Russia is settled in Russian rubles. I have recently approached the president [of Russia] with a suggestion: before we embark on something big, let us switch entirely to Russian rubles in our trade. This is our proposal. We are not afraid of it, but no one agrees to that. It means that Russia refuses to trade with its closest partner in Russian rubles preferring the hard currency - the ‘enemy's' dollars and euro. What is the point of the common ruble then?” the Belarusian leader asked.

The head of state emphasized that it is imperative that the matter of the common currency is approached proceeding from the principle of equality.

The president offered another example of fake news: Lukashenko stated that if a referendum on the unification [with Russia] takes place, 98% of Belarusians will vote against. “What I meant is that 98% or more Belarusians will definitely vote against making Belarus part of Russia. The question of unification cannot be put to a referendum, because this is a very slippery matter: what is unification (what kind of unification will it be and on what terms)? This matter can never be put to a referendum, because the very question is controversial and the answer will be controversial, too,” the Belarusian head of state said.

“This is how they turn things upside down in Russia and provoke some speculations. This is how they reach their goal, namely to accuse Lukashenko of undermining the integration processes. Neither Belarus nor above all Lukashenko undermines the integration. Because it is our life. If there is no integration, if there are no associations like this, of which we are part, then there is no economy of Belarus, because it is export oriented. The integration is vitally important for us,” the Belarusian leader noted.

He also suggested looking deeper and offered his opinion on why Russia constantly raises such issues as incorporation or the common ruble: “Because they understand that we cannot accept it in principle. Since we cannot and will not, well, then this is it. It is them who do not want this integration. We are not the one to blame here.”

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