Belarusian Foreign Ministry Doesn’t Intend to Evacuate Its Citizens from Iraq :: Charter'97 :: News

Most countries of the globe began evacuating their citizens in connection with the looming military invasion of Iraq by USA. Belarus’ neighbors are also following suit: Ukraine, for instance, left only one official in the embassy. A group of Russian diplomats also departed Baghdad. Belarus, however, isn’t going to withdraw their diplomats from the city, nor the workers, employed under contracts there, Radio Svaboda was told by the Belarusian Foreign Ministry. The statesmen claim that any evacuation plans are premature, while the real danger of American air strikes is too exaggerated. As claimed by the independent political pundits, by so doing the Belarusian leadership once again demonstrates to the world their solidarity with Saddam Hussein’s pariah regime.

Two days ago the Iraqi ambassador in Minsk called on the Belarusian authorities to treat Iraq as their most faithful friend on the international arena, adding that his paramount task as of an ambassador is to turn Belarus into Iraq’s leading economic partner.

Over 150 Belarusian nationals are employed at the Iraqi construction sites, while the official visits’ exchanges are getting regular. While the international community discusses plans of military invasion of Iraq, leaked into the Western press, and the US aircrafts are readying to target strategic objects, such as the airdromes, the Belarusian State committee for aviation reports that in spring it will open regular air flights between the capitals of the two countries – Minsk and Baghdad.

According to the analyst from the Institute of political research Andrei Fedorov, the Belarusian authorities are purposefully ignoring the danger, faced by their citizens:

- It’s no secret, that what they do is an open demonstration of their complete support of Saddam’s regime. Leaving our people in such a danger is a challenge to all. In other words, they say that they take the side of the Iraqi regime. Saddam proposed to Belarus to become his most dear friend of all. The journalists were invited to pay free-of-charge trips to Iraq and stay there for a week for free. One should bear in mind, though, that our journalists are in no wise freemen, as concerns their working trips, - noted Andrei Fedorov in his recent interview to the Radio Svaboda.