Lukashenka calls on Catholic Church to be his “advocate” in West

The dictator thinks the Catholic Church should take a more active position what concerns establishing better relations between Belarus and the West.

“I'd like to say it honestly, we hoped for more in cooperation with the Catholic Church. We think the Catholic Church does not apply all possible efforts to improve the relations between Belarus and Western Europe. I do not mean the whole European Union, because we all know who plays first fiddle there,” Lukashenka said on Monday at a meeting with the Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to Belarus,  Paul Friedrich von Fuhrherr.

That's why, Lukashenka says, “We'd like to convey this message to you”. “You [the Order of Malta – Interfax] are rather influential with the Holy See, you have many influential people who must finally have a look at what is going on in relation to the country, which is home to the ex-USSR’s second largest Catholic confession, the country populated with kind people who want to live in friendship,” the president says.

“We lay great hopes on this, though you will work in another country,” Lukashneka noted in his conversation with the Ambassador of the Order, who ends his work in Belarus.

The head of state thanked the ambassador for promoting Belarusian Chernobyl programmes and rendering aid to Belarusian children and people of the country. “It cannot be forgotten,” Lukashenka said.

“We did not have any political questions worth attention. If you saw you could help, you did it. It means a lot,” the head of state noted.

“We want all Western ambassadors to work like this and establish good relations. A response to kindness is kindness,” the president of Belarus said.

The Ambassador of the  Sovereign Military Order of Malta said “The Order did everything possible to help and influence the dialogue between Belarus and the West.” “Our government has an opinion that a dialogue always helps to solve problems. Talking to each other is necessary,” Paul Friedrich von Fuhrherr. Said.

He expressed confidence “the Order of Malta will play a positive role  in the relations between your country and Europe”.