Lukashenka wants to mend relations with Europe, but refuses to fulfil Europe’s conditions :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarus would like to normalize relations with the EU, but does not see signals on its part, A. Lukashenka said. “We would like to with the EU. They are interested in us to the extent we are interested in Europeans,” noted the head of the Belarusian state in an interview to journalists in Brest on Wednesday.

There won’t be free elections

A. Lukashenka has underlined that the relations between the country and the EU should be based “on mutual interest, and we won’t tolerate being spurred by them”. “I think that the EU is losing a real chance to find understanding with us and have us as a best partner,” the Belarusian president said.

As said by him, Belarus “has never opposed Europe”. “But you see, they didn’t like our internal problems, problems of opposition, they didn’t like our electoral law,” Lukashenka noted. He said that “we are not interfering with their affairs, for instance, of France, where Internal Affairs Ministry carries out elections”. “Just imagine Internal Affair Ministry and not a Central election Committee to carry out elections in our country,” A. Lukashenka noted.

Capital punishment won’t be abolished

Besides, as said by him, the West demands Belarus to abolish death penalty. “But we have carried out a referendum on that issue, and I cannot reverse that. Why doesn’t the EU demand Americans to abolish death penalty?” the president said.

A. Lukashenka noted that Belarus does not accept “double or triple standards”. “We have our interests, and they do not contradict European ones,” the Belarusian president said.

As said by him, today’s Belarus solves “huge problems for Europe”. It concerns drugs, armaments trafficking control, nuclear technologies and materials control. We have stopped lots of such things. We have the most secure border, what’s more Europeans need?” A. Lukashenka said. He said that “the West is hung up on some human rights”. “The most important right of a human is a right for life, for work and salary. Are we solving these problems worse than others?” the president asked.

Oppositional press won’t appear

Besides, as said by him, “they are talking about freedom of mass media. For Heaven`s sake, let oppositional newspapers write, but they have gone so far as to offer the state to disseminate these oppositional newspapers”. “Such things do not exist anywhere, and we won’t do that,” A. Lukashenka said.

Political prisoners won’t be released

He underlined that “we are presented unacceptable claims; they are like die-hard sheep bearing against this gate, and demand to release some kind of political prisoners”. “We do not have political articles, and we have shown to them why those people had been convicted. These people were spurred on to barricades by the EU by their money, and the West wants to release them,” A. Lukashenka said. In this connection he said: “Well, come and admit that you are guilty, offer an apology to the Belarusians and say: “let’s deal with the matter”.

Asks to lift sanctions

Lukashenka demands that “for the beginning of the dialogue the EU should lift sanctions against our people, state officials”. Besides, as A. Lukashenka noted, “in case you [the EU] impose sanctions under the GSP, in case you would talk to us through an iron curtain and have us by throat, we won’t agree for any kind of talks”.

Lukashenka also believes that “Russians should not get nervous while our country “is expressing an intention and readiness to normalize relations with Europe”.