Lukashenka offers to liquidate NATO

• 25.11.2008, 11:15

Alyaksandr Lukashenka has stated that building up of the NATO’s forces near Belarusian borders provokes “mini-arms race” in Europe.

Such an opinion has been expressed by him on Monday November 24 in an exclusive interview to Agence France-Presse.

“We are greatly alarmed by what is going on near our borders… Why the NATO warplanes are flying near the borders of our country? We begin to build up our air defense forces. It is the beginning of a mini rams race,” the Belarusian ruler said.

When answering the question concerning membership in the NATO of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Lukashenka stated that appearance of rapid deployment forces at the territory of the Baltic States makes Belarus take appropriate steps and start creation of its own special units.

Lukashenka has also offered to think together about liquidation this “military machine” instead of further NATO expansion. He underlined that it is “absolutely necessary”.

Despite of the fact that in his interview Lukashenka characterized relations of Russia and Belarus are very close and ridiculed opponents of the union of the two states.

As we have informed, in the middle of November “The Wall Street Journal” wrote that Lukashenka s in talks with Moscow about placing in Belarus advanced Iskander missiles that could hit targets deep inside Europe.

Mr. Lukashenka said Russia also had proposed putting Iskander missiles in Belarus, which is situated between Russia and Poland. And if a deal on the issue isn't reached, Belarus itself would like to deploy the missiles, he said.

In two days the Foreign Ministry of Belarus refuted that statement saying that journalists misrepresented statements of Lukashenka. The spokesperson of the Belarusian foreign policy agency Andrei Papou stated that “Lukashenka hadn’t made any statements about intentions of the country to deploy Russian missile systems Iskander in Belarus as a retaliatory step to the actions of the US on deploying ABM system elements in Europe”.

“The statements meant that as part of the general rearmament of the Belarusian army outdated missile systems should be gradually replaced with new, more advanced ones, including perhaps missile systems Iskander,” said Andrei Papou.