Lukashenka Frightened by Saakashvili :: Charter'97 :: News

Officials of the administration of Belarusian president and Foreign Minister of Belarus Martynau energetically started to refute the information that Alyaksandr Lukashenka had made a decision to introduce visa requirements for Georgian citizens. It is obvious that the Belarusian authorities had been worried by the reaction of Georgian authorities: on Friday Foreign Relations Committee of Georgian Parliament proposed a draft statement in response to the Belarus President’s decision, which recommends the authorities to consider Alexander Lukashenko persona non grata in Georgia. Speaker of Georgian parliament Nino Burdzhanadze stated that Lukashenka’s decision “demonstrates the agony of Belarusian regime”.

However, the Belarusian authorities have revealed the real reason of closing the Belarusian borders for Georgians. “We cannot agree to the forcible export of some revolutions or pseudo-revolutions to us”. “President Saakashvili, as well as the Georgian Parliament have made statements and also have decided to dispatch “revolutionary” fighters to us,” told Foreign Minster of Belarus Syarhei Martynau on June 10 on Belarusian TV.

“Decision of the [Belarus] President was triggered by objective and understandable facts: it is not a secret that President Saakashvili, as well as the Georgian Parliament have made statements and also have decided to dispatch “revolutionary” fighters [to Belarus], which will, naturally, be followed by criminal elements. We know about this [scenario] from the experience of other countries,” the Belarus Foreign Minister said.

Deputy Head of presidential administration Natalya Pyatkevcih has “flatly denied the rumours” that A. Lukashenka introduced visa regime for Georgia, Interfax informs. “There had not been any document, draft decree of a president. I know it perfectly as all drafts which need a signature of the head of state, are passed via me,” she said.

“Belarusian President had not made any decisions to introduce visa regime with Georgia,” has stated Foreign Minister of Belarus Syarhei Martynau on June 10. As said by the minister, A. Lukashenka had only agreed that “FM and law-enforcing agencies of Belarus would look into the situation of visa relations with Georgia”.

“Decision of the [Belarus] President was triggered by objective and understandable facts: it is not a secret that President Saakashvili, as well as the Georgian Parliament have made statements and also have decided to dispatch “revolutionary” fighters [to Belarus], which will, naturally, be followed by criminal elements. We know about this [scenario] from the experience of other countries,” the Belarus Foreign Minister said.” “What is the purpose of dispatching these “revolutionary” fighters to Belarus? To foster calm, dignified and prosperous life of the Belarus people? Definitely not. Apparently there are other reasons. Must the President [of Belarus], as the guarantor of the country’s stability, defend the state from the raids of this kind? Of course he must. That is why, the President instructed the Foreign Ministry and the law enforcement agencies to look into the situation once again and if there is no change in the Georgian leadership’s policy over dispatching here “extremists” of instability, we will, possibly, recommend the President of Belarus to impose visa requirements with this country [Georgia],” Syarhei Martynau said.

As said by the diplomat, “the decision of Georgian parliament to ban entry to Georgia for Lukashenka was expected by us long time ago. There is some course which is unfortunately set not by Tbilisi, but other capitals, and they have to follow it. The Georgian parliament had used unverified information to pass a decision that is founded on nothing”. The Belarus Foreign Minister described this reaction of the Georgian Parliament as “a storm in empty cup.”

As we have informed, on June 9 press service of A. Lukashenka informed that “Belarusian present A. Lukashenka had made a decision to impose visa requirements with Georgia”. This information can still be found on the official internet-site of Belarusian head of state under a title “Visa Requirements with Georgia introduced”.