“Die Welt”, one of the leading weekly German newspapers, managed to interview two leading Belarusian politicians: Alexander Milinkevich and Alexander Lukashenka. Here are some quotations, so that you could get the impression of what the conversations looked like:
Lukashenka: “My image in the world is totally wrong. Perhaps, I shouldn’t have made certain statements. A president of the country, which does not possess nuclear weapons, and is economically dependent on other states, can not be a dictator”.
Milinkevich: “Those in power have grown much more aggressive after this year’s presidential elections – they begin to feel their weakness”.
Lukashenka: “Belarus lies in the centre of Europe, our values are the same; but we have specific national interests. For example, our social economy is based on a strong government. Private property is a “holy cow” for the West. But we manage to modernize our state-controlled economy. At least during the last oil crisis the West reported about us objectively for the first time”.
Milinkevich: “The aggressiveness is caused by the feeling of insecurity. The regime [of Lukashenka] understands very well, that the Belarusian economic model, just as its social model, has no future”.
Lukashenka: “It was the energy conflict with Russia, which forced us to acknowledge, that we need the investors from Europe and the USA… We should make the better use of our geographic position. The concrete investment programs will be developed soon”.
Milinkevich: “[The West] should maintain the economic cooperation with our country. But in the field of politics it should turn to the Belarusian civic society. In the future it will be the most reliable partner”.
Lukashenka: “There is no equal access to the mass media in anywhere in the world. Just take a look at Russia”.
Milinkevich: “The circle of repressions is not broken”.
Lukashenka: “God save us from the Ukrainian state of things in Belarus!”
Milinkevich: “If Belarus unites with Russia, the [Russian] imperialistic traditions will grow stronger. If Belarus becomes a democratic country, it will mean the final rejection of the imperialistic idea. The sooner this idea disappears, the sooner Russia itself takes the road of the European democratic development”.
Lukashenka: “I believe that the former Soviet republics are not mature enough to be parliamentary republics”.
Milinkevich: “More than 90% of Belarusians want not the fusion of Belarus with Russia, but merely the economic integration”.
Lukashenka: “Our opposition politicians spend more time abroad than home”.
Milinkevich: “I oppose economic sanctions, but I welcome the individual sanctions against those, who violate the Belarusian constitution, and is responsible for the repressions. The moral impact of these sanctions is enormous. The people, who thought that they are untouchable, found out, that there is justice and that they will not escape it. It is also important for our society to understand it”.
Lukashenka: “I want that Belarus some time looks like Germany or Sweden. But all we got from the West so far were punches in our back”.
Milinkevich: “In the end, if everything goes according to Lukashenka’s scenario, Belarus will turn neither to the West, nor to Russia”.
Lukashenka: “On one hand, Russia plays with its energy muscles and believes, that it can conquer the world. The Russian elite has become arrogant, but it will change after the energy prices go down. On the other hand, one should not demonize Putin. There is no personal animosity between Putin und Lukashenka. I know Putin like no one else does”.
Milinkevich: “Russia supported Belarus, because it promised to unite with Russia. But Lukashenka did not tell the whole truth. He did not want the union state on Russian conditions. Now he has to pay for it”.
