MINSK, 9 December (BelTA) - The documentary Time Chose Us by the Belarus 1 TV channel looked into the reason why Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko decided to dislodge foreign ambassadors from the Drozdy neighborhood in 1998, BelTA learned.
Later, U.S. Ambassador Daniel Speckhard even called a press conference to lament that the Americans had spent $800,000 on the renovations of the residence and that this was one of the reasons why he did not want to leave it. In fact, the reason was different. The U.S. territory was guarded by a U.S. special forces unit. It is is just a few meters away from the residence of the Belarusian head of state. No sane leader would allow such a neighborhood.
With scandal and door slamming, ambassadors from 22 countries moved out of the picturesque neighborhood of Drozdy in the summer of 1998. The residential compound had been allocated for the diplomatic residences in the early 1990s. At that time it was considered as a temporary measure. In the future, the ambassadors were supposed to move out to better houses corresponding to the diplomatic standards. Or build embassy buildings on the lands of plots offered by the Belarusian side.
“I instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Belarus President Property Management Directorate and other structures to find the best land parcels in the Minsk Hero City. We found them. As good as the ones where they lived. Those were ready-to-move-in homes. If they refuse these offers, then they are welcome to look for the property on their own. Our ambassadors looked for accommodation on their own. No more hand-holding! My decision is final and binding. They're going to get the list soon. If they refuse, then it's an inflated problem. It means they need it to create some bad publicity around the country,” the Belarusian leader said at the time.
Later, U.S. Ambassador Daniel Speckhard even called a press conference to lament that the Americans had spent $800,000 on the renovations of the residence and that this was one of the reasons why he did not want to leave it. In fact, the reason was different. The U.S. territory was guarded by a U.S. special forces unit. It is is just a few meters away from the residence of the Belarusian head of state. No sane leader would allow such a neighborhood.
The “housing problem” resulted in the travel ban on the Belarusian president and hundreds of other officials by the U.S. and European countries. Western diplomats turned out to be touchy.
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