Lukashenka Continues to Settle Accounts with Putin :: Charter'97 :: News

On the next day after the meeting with the leader of the Communist party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov, Alyaksandr Lukashenka gave an interview to the editor-in-chief of a notorious Russian newspaper “Zavtra” Aleksandr Prokhanov. In the conversation they discussed issues of Belarus’ foreign policy, relations with Russian and oil and gas costs, cooperation with European countries, a reaction of the Belarusians and Russians to the oil and gas row.

To the question what are the prospects of further Belarusian-Russian relations against the background of recent events, Alyaksandr Lukashenka noted that in the current situation “everything depends on Russian leadership”. It concerns further building of relations and construction of the “union state”. “This fire is still flickering in Belarus, though it wouldn’t be easy”, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said about the prospects in this direction of cooperation.

Besides, he reminded that in the issue of the “union state” formation Belarus is precisely following the Agreement on creation of the “union state” of Belarus and Russia, in which the main principle of this union, equal rights of the sides, is defined.

Using concrete facts, Alyaksandr Lukashenka has demonstrated that calculations of the Russian side according to which Belarusian economy is allegedly subsidised by Russia, are incorrect.

Touching upon a price hike on energy resources for Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said: “It was Russian president’s direct instruction. Gazprom has nothing to do with that, in this case the leadership of Russia is in charge. Everything is viewed from the point of view of bookkeeping. But accounts should not be unilateral, they should be absolutely objective”.

As one of the examples, the leader of the state reminded that creation of a full-fledged defensive force grouping with all necessary infrastructures in western direction would cost about $21 billion for Russia.

Lukashenka has underlined once again the multi-vector character of the foreign policy of the country, in which cooperation not only with one state, but with many states, both in the East and in the West, is present.