Boris Nemtsov: Belarus will become free sooner than Russia

Belarus has much more chances to sooner become a free country, the Russian politician believes.

The leaders of the United Civic Party (UCP) Anatol Labiedzka and the Republican Party of Russia – the Party of People’s Freedom (RPR-PPF) Boris Nemtsov stated the goals of their parties – to bring the countries back democratic development.

The statement was made on 24 April in Minsk at a press-conference after signing a joint document on the cooperation of the two parties.

According to Labiedzka, the UCP and RPR-PPF have “the relations proven through time”. “We are setting same goals before ourselves – to bring our countries to the democratic path of development”, - he said.

Nemtsov highlighted that he absolutely agreed with these words. “We want Belarus and Russia to be democracies, for the authorities in our countries to rotate, for independent judiciary to exist”, - the politician claimed.

According to Nemtsov, “Putin’s Russia today walks the way of Lukashenka with giant steps”.

At the same time, he believes that Belarus has much more chances to become a free country sooner. “If you become a democratic country, Russia will have such a chance. You have more chances to become democratic, because Russia has an imperial complex, because you are in the center of Europe and you do not have the factor of Caucasus”, - the Russian opposition politician said.

Nemtsov also stated that Lukashenka and Putin “are insanely alike, although they hate each other”. “They are similar in falsifications, because one as well as the other fool their people”, - the politician said.

Boris Nemtsov came to Minsk in the evening on 23 April. Today in the second half of the day his meeting with Belarusian public is planned at the office of the BPF party, at which the topic of Belarus-Russia relations will be discussed. On the eve of the politician’s visit it became known that Minsk hotels refused to provide premises for the meeting with him.