Does multi-vector policy push Lukashenka to East? (video)

“It’s the last time when I warn Americans: we will react roughly to these sanctions,” Alyaksandr Lukashenka threatened the US at the end of the last year. Yesterday he expressed is dissatisfaction with activity of EU and US ambassadors: “I don’t fully understand roles of most of the EU ambassadors, and especially, the US ambassador.” The Belarusian authorities have an experience of war against ambassadors: the western embassies were expelled from the residency Drazdy. The regime is accumulating experience of cooperation with Arabian capital.

“Just after significant for our economy sanction are imposed, we will react in all directions: in policy, economy, and other sectors. The first person who will be kicked out is the ambassador of the United States,” Lukashenka threatened last year.

It’s become a tradition that the head of state lashes out at western states after of before his meetings with Russian high-ranked officials. But the last attacks on the civilised world are made simultaneously with the growing friendship with rogue states like Venezuela and inflow of Arabian capital in Belarus. Moreover, the axis of evil countries have begun to invest in Belarus after a long armament cooperation.

“The united States, as well as the European Union, continues to hope that the authorities will release political prisoners, and Belarus will fulfil its obligations of holding free and fair election. We will continue to take appropriate steps on focusing the world attention on the people, responsible for lack of progress in our relations,” the US continues to insist via the US Ambassador to Belarus Karen Stewart.

Appropriate steps mean expansion of the visa ban into the US and the EU in addition to the existing list of banned Belarusian authorities, and the sanctions imposed against Belneftekhim concern, aroused a hysteric reaction of the Lukashenka’s regime.

The united States impose entry ban for Belarusian officials after the presidential election-2006. The personal accounts of the officials were frozen. The top of the regime got under the ban – from Lukashenka to his advisers in the Administration. A ban list was expended in December, 2007.

The George Bush administration froze assets of the state-owned Belneftekhim concern on 13 November, 2007. The US authorities said the reason was that the company was controlled by Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The imposed by the US sanction affect all Belneftekhim offices in Germany, Ukraine, Latvia, Russia and China, as well as subsidiary Belneftekhim USA.

Lukashenka decided to use his Russian “friends” in response. During the last visit to Minsk of Sergei Ivanov, Russian foreign minister, it was said that Russia is concerned at the line adopted by some Western countries in putting pressure on Belarus.”

However, the US and Europe continue to insist:

-- No country should make any concessions to Belarus until all political prisoners are released, -- David Kramer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State said.

The European Union is categorical as well: no cooperation with the Belarusian regime until political prisoners are released. “So far there are no conditions for progress in the relations of the EU and the official Minsk,” told the press-secretary of European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Christine Hohmann.

As said by her, the conditions are known to the official Minsk very well. They are 12 recommendations on democratization of Belarus offered by the EU a year ago.

It looks like all signals have been sent, and directions in which successful cooperation with Belarus is possible, are named. However, the Belarusian regime is still looking for its own, “unique” way. This time repeatedly announced “multi-vector policy” leads them to the east.

Recently Arab money started flowing into our country abundantly. It’s not an income from selling own or reselling Russian armaments any more. This is direct investment to the economy. But most of the investors from the Near East are for some reason invested into tourism, not in industry development.

Only over the last month plans to build a dozen of five-star hotels, business-centres and entertainment centers in Minsk with participation of big Arab capital. Somebody from Lukashenka’s entourage should have successfully “offloading” onto credulous Arabs the idea that this sector is promising in our country, and received a certain “cut” for that.

At the same time, the Belarusian opposition has clearly defined the direction for the country to develop. On January 24 the beginning of the campaign “For European Belarus” was announced by representatives of the United Democratic Forces and a number of pro-European public associations. Its initiators were the deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front party Viktar Ivashkevich, the leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic party (Narodnaya Hramada) and the European coalition leader Mikola Statkevich, the Charter’97 international coordinator Andrei Sannikov and a diplomat and former political prisoner Mikhail Marynich.

As said by Viktar Ivashkevich, it’s a long-term campaign. Its aim is to “achieve Belarus’ joining the EU, and in the near-term perspective to push the regime to fulfill the 12 recommendations of the European Union”.