Lukashenka asks Spuhler to save him from sanctions

The dictator lures European businessmen to Belarus.

Western sanctions do not affect the cooperation between the European Union, Belarus and the Eurasian Economic Union. Aliaksandr Lukashenka said it to journalists during a visit to the Stadler Minsk factory today, BelTA reports.

“We are at the start of this trilateral cooperation,” he said. “We have already made these steps in the economy. Peter Spuhler (CEO of Stadler Rail Group) said that he does not support these sanctions because they hurt both the Europeans and Russians. Indeed, we have already done some things in the economy. Now you see they have started doing some talking in politics.”

Politicians speak about a dialogue between the EU and the EAC when discussing the Ukrainian issue, according to him.

“For example, foreign ministers of Germany, Russia and Belarus have been talking about it already. This is a normal format. But they are talking about this on the tip from the Germans. It means that there is certain headway in the EU policy,” the ruler said.

The dictator said the sanctions were an anachronism.

“You know that it was not Europe who initiated it. Europe is suffering big losses because of these sanctions. But apparently Europe is too dependent on other centres of power for the time being,” he noted. He thinks the situation in Ukraine will come down sooner or later and the course of sanctions will be stopped.

“Whatever the sanctions may be, people in the West and in the East are much smarter than those who impose these sanctions, and they will find avenues of cooperation in all areas. It is impossible to squeeze business. It is hard to isolate one person today, and such gigantic regions as the Eurasian Union, the EU will never be isolated,” the ruler said, adding that the ties, even between people, are very close.

“Time will come and we will forget about these sanctions. But before we forget about them, we will overcome them. This will be done by such businessmen as Peter Spuhler. No one will make them abandon their own investments which they brought here. No politician will agree to it, otherwise they are not politicians. Business will not let them do it,” he noted.

Lukashenka added the didn't dramatise the situation with the sanctions: “Everyone knows it very well, especially here, in Belarus. Russia will survive them. We will survive everything together. We already have such experience.”