Adnrei Suzdaltsev: Lukashenka wants to have the cake and eat it

Belarusian ruler keeps living by the logic of an “impudent dependent”.

This is how a political scientist Andrei Suzdaltsev commented for the charter97.org web-site on Lukashenka’s new conditions of selling enterprises to Russia.

“The thing is that he cannot claim that to the president of Russia. That is why he speaks with governors, counting that this opinion will be messaged to Putin by the means of such information intermediaries. It should also be considered that Belarusian leadership simply does not have any serious and actual plan for organizing its economy and political life and tries to live in line with last century’s practices. Instead of carrying out structural reforms of its economy, it keeps simply looking for money to maintain the economic status quo. Lukashenka believes that the idea of modernization should sooner or later attract Russia, which the country’s incumbent rulers think has nothing else to invest money in. Why not to put Russia money in their own pocket? That is for one”, - the expert pointed out.

In political scientist’s opinion, another issue is a weird understanding of Russia.

“It is not only to the eyes and consciousness of Lukashenka, but in general in the understanding of Belarusian political class. This is a dependent’s approach to Russia, which must either supply, or provide, or solve some other Belarus’ vital problems. This manifests in claims, telling to provide more markets. It turns out that Russia should give money for the modernization of Belarusian enterprises, the products of which will then be pushing out of markets Russian enterprises, companies and firms. This means that Russia should with its own money kill their own producers, while cutting a piece of their own market and guarantee it for Belarusians. In exchange they may promise to sell something at some point may be. Why sell that, if this money is enough to build an enterprise from scratch in Russia”, - he emphasized.

According to Andrei Suzdaltsev, this is “some kind of a perverted logic of impudent dependents”.

“Another option looks like that: a neighbor comes to neighbor and says “You know, I want to modernize the apartment and live a full life. That is why give me money for the renovation and provide the access to your wife, please”. That is why by claiming such thing Lukashenka wants to eat his cake and have it. The same thing is done now by Yanukovich. He came in December and asked for money, because he had Maydan. But in reality both are simply looking for funds”, - the expert is convinced.

We would remind that today at the meeting with the governor of Yaroslavl region Sergei Yastrebov in Minsk the Belarusian ruler set new conditions for selling enterprises to Russian investors. The dictator demanded that Russian provided markets and money for modernization.

“If we participate in integration projects, if we plan on exchanging shares, there should be money for modernization, there should be new markets. It probably would be wrong to simply discuss integration” – Lukashenka claimed.