MINSK, 6 April (BelTA) – It is necessary to come to grips with the activities of foreign foundations, NGOs and similar organizations financed from abroad, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the meeting to discuss foreign policy on 6 April, BelTA has learned.
“Today I would like to hear concrete proposals for returning to a consistent, proactive policy with Poland. We are not going to fight with anyone, we do not want to fight with anyone, but if we are treated the way it was at the end of last year and it is now, we will fight back and hit hard. It is time to stop acting like passive observers: we should respond adequately whenever necessary, like it was in Brest and Grodno. However, there is no other way but to speak a normal language with our neighbors,” the head of state said.
The president emphasized that local authorities overlooked destructive forces acting under their nose. “They should have checked these language courses, scout organizations and other similar structures managed and funded from abroad. It is very sad that the newcomer to our government who is responsible for ethnic and religious affairs failed to notice this and did not sort it out from the onset. This is a lesson for you! These problems are not many, but they do exist. Come to grips with them,” the head of state said addressing Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs Aleksandr Rumak.
Aleksandr Lukashenko once again emphasized that all questionable associations and institutions should be dealt with in principle. This also applies to various foundations. “It is already the responsibility of the head of the Belarus President Administration to organize the work to re-register all of them. We are not going to ban those who do good to the state. We have seen who is who. Therefore, they need to be brought to their senses. If they are able to work for the state, we will tolerate them and cooperate with them. If not, they will be blown out of the water. It's unacceptable when these structures working in Belarus drag young people into anti-state activities, facilitate the brain drain from Belarus. Thank God, the outflow of qualified personnel has slowed down, because they have seen who is who,” the president added.
According to the head of state, it is necessary to work very seriously ‘with the way the so-called Polish issue is perceived by the public and Western partners'. “Not everyone in the West understands what is really going on. We are already working on it, but we need to step up our efforts. These themes include the persecution of ethnic Belarusians in the inter-war and post-war periods, the activities of Polish nationalist armed gangs (and not only Polish) on our territory, revanchist aspirations of the authorities of these states to regain control over certain territories and regions of Belarus. Warsaw, for example, still calls these areas Eastern Borderlands. The official Union of Poles in Belarus, where a new leader has recently been elected, should work constructively for the good of our country, contributing to the strengthening of relations,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
The president added that the Belarusian authorities do not oppress the Polish minority: these people have their own association that can be used to facilitate interaction between the two countries. “If you don't like something, inform the government, the president - we will intervene,” the Belarusian leader assured.
