MINSK, 27 February (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko is, first of all, a man of peace. He managed to maintain peace for his country and people, Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska, an entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told the Belarus 1 TV channel. Milorad Dodik had recently been to Belarus on a working visit, BelTA has learned.
The interview brought up the historic visit of Aleksandr Lukashenko to what was then Yugoslavia in 1999, in the midst of the bombing of the country by NATO forces.
“President Lukashenko is a living legend for the Serbs. He witnessed many years of injustice not only towards Belarus, but also towards us - the Serbs, towards Eastern Orthodox believers. And therefore it was interesting to talk to him about this experience, about what happened. And the Serbs will never forget this gesture of his. When Americans were bombing Serbia without a Security Council resolution, he was the only statesman who flew in to Serbia under NATO bombs. Neither ordinary people nor politicians will ever forget this,” Milorad Dodik emphasized.
“It was a risky gesture, but it was a gesture of courage that made us realize that he was a true friend of ours. Our common experience has brought us closer to each other. President Lukashenko is, first of all, a man of peace. Despite the smear campaign in the media, this man preserved peace for his country and his people,” added the president of Republika Srpska.
One of the questions concerned the Ukraine peace talks in Minsk in 2015. Later the leaders of France and Germany admitted that this was only a way to buy time and arm Ukraine. The president was asked how to trust Western politicians now and whether there is anyone there to talk to.
“We don’t believe them. They deceived us in a bigger way. They deceived us with the Dayton Accords [General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina concluded in December 1995]. And now they are pushing their agenda through other agreements, while not complying with the Accords. Agreements are made in order to be observed, but they are peddling their own talking points that were outlined by Americans. In fact, they are simply deceiving us,” said Milorad Dodik.
According to him, this is also the case with the Minsk Agreements on Ukraine. “We knew that this would happen. But the audacity to admit that it was exactly what you were striving for shows how cynical the West is. They don’t need partners for peace. But I think this has seriously harmed Europe itself, the European Union. Today they do not have a single true leader,” said the president. “Those who are in charge there now are not leaders even in their own countries. They do not have mass support. Moreover, there is no one who could be called a leader of the European Union. The last one was Merkel [former Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel]. But, as you know, she also deceived,” Milorad Dodik said.
