MINSK, 9 August (BelTA) – One just needs to think carefully before imposing sanctions against Belarus, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the Big Conversation with the President, a meeting with the public, experts and media community in the format of a big press conference in Minsk on 9 August, BelTA has learned.
“They need to start using their head and think carefully before taking action against us, including before introducing sanctions. They should stop lapping up what our protesters, fugitives are saying over there. They lap it up, we can see it from their texts. We read their texts and compare them with what the European Union and America adopt – the same texts with mistakes. It would be a great idea to print it out and give to journalists. I have a summary table where they explain why BELAZ, MAZ team and other companies and teams were punished. The reasoning and substantiation for these sanctions are hilarious and very interesting. Extremely interesting. They cannot even substantiate their sanctions,” the president said.
The Belarusian leader set a task - to hold the ground. “It will not be easy considering that they are intimidating us with new sanctions. By the way, after these ‘cookies' the Americans decided to impose some kind of sanctions. I would like to give a warning, since there are journalists in attendance. Do not think that this noise, including information noise, is all about Belarus' relations with the USA, the European Union, Poland, etc. No, this noise is up there, in high places. But there are levels at which we maintain dialogue, negotiations with them and this process has been continuous. We have a burning agenda that we are always ready to earnestly discuss with the Poles (there are absolutely no contacts with the Lithuanians now, but we will get over it), the European Union, the Americans. For example, the United States. They openly said that they greatly appreciated our efforts to combat the smuggling of radioactive substances - five or six cases last year alone. They appreciated this, like the whole world. Russia and China appreciate it. Who needs these explosives headed for the European Union? This is a big question for Americans. We appreciated them for it, we worked together. We keep collaborating, but I warned them: if they cross the red line, we will stop interacting on this matter. What can this lead to? An example is illegal migration,” he said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that Belarus is not blackmailing anyone. “We are not threatening anyone. It's just that you put us in such conditions that we have to respond, and we do. We do it as we can. Some people criticize me for that. But I do not have the capabilities that Russia, China, the United States or the European Union have. I don't have such capabilities. If I had I would have responded differently. We live in a certain reality, and my Belarus and Belarusian people are here. Therefore, we respond as we can,” he said.
“There is no need to rush to sanctions. Moreover, they can have the opposite effect. What does reality show? What is the latest news? The situation on the Belarusian-Polish, Belarusian-Ukrainian, Belarusian-Lithuanian and Belarusian-Latvian borders. Did Lithuania have to do it? No. But how did it all start? It's not about sanctions, not only about sanctions and not so much about them. They started with the campaign against the Belarusian nuclear power plant project. Were we doing something wrong? Something that no one in the world has ever done? No. Lithuania, which was against the Belarusian nuclear power plant, has plans to build one. This, however, requires mobilization and appropriate assistance. You need to borrow money and then pay it back. The beauty of a debt is in its payment. That is where it all began. I made a good offer. They closed the Ignalina nuclear power plant, and some 3,500-4,000 highly-qualified, Soviet-educated people were left out of work. I invited them to our plant. You are welcome. Here you will be provided with housing, kindergartens, schools, a social package, which Lithuania has never had and will never have. Come and work here. We will produce electricity together. You will control everything here. Your specialists from Ignalina will work here. We will learn from you. We will produce electricity and sell it to the Baltics at a reasonable price. That, however, was disadvantageous to those who were willing to supply electricity to the Baltics from Western Europe at the price three times as much. They made Lithuania act like this. What does this have to do with me then?” said the Belarusian leader.
The president added: “No matter how difficult it was, we have survived this year. It was not easy. We will withstand other years. We will not back down, we will not fall to our knees. Enough is enough. We were brought to our knees in the past. Those who refused to fall to their knees were exterminated - every third was killed in the middle of the last century. Those who do not know this should come here more often - we will tell them about it.”
