Lukashenka: Don't make us bow that deeply

The Belarusian governor delivered a message to the people and the "parliament".

“The IMF, the EU and even Russia are saying the same: carry out privatisation, sell state-owned enterprises. I told them: We are not against selling any enterprise. But you must pay a proper price. Don't make us bow that deeply. It especially concerns our partners, our brothers. They should not do this,” Lukashenka said.

“We are reproached for violating human rights. But how should we understand the fact that the European Union has just ripped off a huge part of the population? Yes, it wasn’t poor people, hiding their money in offshores, but it was legal. And European Union officials probably kept their money there,” said Lukashenka.

“And then they retroactively froze everything and took away 60%. That’s human rights for you from the European Union’s point of view,” remarked he.

“Cyprus would not have gone for it but the European Union demanded it. I know it precisely. So human rights mean taking property away from people, although not poor people,” added Lukashenka.

“I like the phrase Dmitry Medvedev said that the European Union robs the robbers or something like that. Therefore, I am calm about it. It wasn’t poor people, who had been hiding money in offshores and have shared it with the Cyprian nation as dictated by the European Union,” said he. Lukashenka also added that the situation was totally not stressful for him.

“We are allies with brotherly Russia. We have no political differences. We are on the way towards the highest level of bilateral cooperation within the Union State, however some would not want it,” he said, adding that relations with the neighbors are a natural priority for Belarus.

“Once again I want to say it, frankly and absolutely honestly, for the EU, the United States and others: when negotiating with you, we will never proceed from the position whether we are with you or with Russia. There is no such choice for us and cannot be!” he said.

“We must ensure the economic security of the state. The economy is the foundation for the whole state and the whole national security. We must not slow down the fight against corruption, first and foremost in those sectors which use budget money. Every official should clearly understand that he will be held accountable for the abuse of power for personal gains,” the governor said.

“I also warn the directors of the companies who do not take run checks into the background of counteragents to make sure their reputation is credible, and who do not understand or do not want to understand that they should be crystal-clear because they are “on the frontline”, deal face to face with their own people and personnel. I think that the level of personal responsibility, control and adequate reaction from the state should be raised manifold,” Lukashenka said.

“Several serious organizational and personnel decisions have been made to enhance the protection of the state border. Order will be instituted in border checkpoints. I have repeatedly addressed the matter and have warned the top officials of the State Border Committee that have been renewed considerably recently: god forbid that anyone else easily crosses the state border, you will have yourselves only to blame. I would like to warn everyone, who tries to cross the state border, that we will act without mercy [against trespassers]. The border service has been given relevant instructions. The situation has deteriorated so much that border guards were afraid to stop a trespasser, who crushed everything on the way to enter Belarus. We had to spend days and a lot of money to catch him inside the country, had to mobilize the Interior Ministry, the Customs Committee, and the border service. So I would like to issue a public warning that the border service will use firearms upon the first act of disobedience,” stressed Lukashenka.