Lukashenka supported Russia in war against Georgia

• 21.08.2008, 9:08

Alyaksandr Lukashenka met with heads of the unrecognised republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia Eduard Kokoity and Sergei Bagapsh yesterday.

Lukashenka thinks Russia did the right thing having intruded into Georgia. "I am totally against a though that Russia has started the war. There was no war, it was a beautiful operation of Russia and your people. The people defended their land and peacemakers performed their mission,” the Belarusian ruler said.

According to the head of the Belarusian state, “it took two or three days to settle up the matter and peace was established in the region.” “If it hadn’t happened so, if the events had developed as the US and West want? The war has been continuing by now, blood has still been running,” Lukashenka said.

“When I saw the supporters of the west were going to visit this place to male some statements there, I said “we don’t take part in this.” Because they (representatives of the West) say absolutely different things, they have forgotten the background of the conflict, they have forgotten everything,” Lukashenka noted. “We shouldn’t condemn Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Russia for their actions,” the Belarusian president emphasised.

“I told to Dmitry Medvedev yesterday that I wasn’t going to add my voice to this polyphony and say whom I support, what I approve and what I don’t approve,” A. Lukashenka noted. “our position is: Russia behave in a right way, they did it also because it was our decision – the decision of the heads of CIS countries,” the Belarusian president said.

A. Lukashenka also noted that “the only thing the Russians should have done was to gather the CIS heads on the next day and say, ”We acted by your instruction.”

Lukashenka: We persuaded Russian president to send “peacemakers” in South Ossetia and Abkhazia

Speaking about the background of the conflict, A. Lukashenka noted that “seven years ago Georgian president proposed to “block Abkhazia in the mountains”, to put its people, government and the forming state on the verge of catastrophe.” “What country was the first to say it will help this people if something happens? It was Belarus,” A. Lukashenka said.

“I refused flatly to sign the document (suggested by Georgia) and it wasn’t approved at the session of the heads of the CIS countries,” the Belarusian ruler said. “It is for history,” he added.

According to him, “Russians didn’t set up the conflict in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.” “It was a problem of Georgia, it was a dispute of the nations,” A. Lukashenka noted. According to him, people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia can’t live in such country (Georgia), and it was the reason for the conflict.”

As the president thinks, Russia had “many inner problems at that time, It was distracted with conflicts. Russia asked what it should do. We, heads of the CIS countries, decided to persuade the Russian president to send Russian peacemakers to South Ossetia and Abkhazia. In other words, the Georgian president asked to send peacemakers. It is the truth,” A. Lukashenka told.

“What is happening now? Russia has performed its duty. Time has passed but the Georgian side hasn’t said: Russians, withdraw your peacemakers from Ossetia, let think about other peacemaking forces. Take and read shorthand records, the Russians have them. it is recorded everywhere that the President of Georgia thanks Russia for all efforts it is making in peacemaking in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Everywhere. He has never said, never put on the agenda a point (he had the right to do it) of withdrawing of peacemakers, he just thanked Russia for it keeps peace,” A. Lukashenka noted.

Besides, according to him, “Russia had no other choice.” “It needed to perform it peacemaking mission, firstly. Secondly, having been hit like that, should it have not to pay attention to it?” he noted.

Bagapsh and Kokoity thankful to Lukashenka

As Interfax reports, heads of South Ossetia and Abkhazia asked Lukashenka to raise a question about the situation in unrecognised republic at the nearest session of the Supreme State Council of the “union state”.

Kokoity thanked the Belarusian ruler: “we highly appreciate Your support, Your condolences to pour people. People of South Ossetia know your position and we understand how Belarus is pressed by the forces, who organised the aggression. I must also thank the Belarusian people and ethnic Belarusians, living in South Ossetia now.”

S. Bagapsh thanked A. Lukashenka for his “support and firm and clear position of the Belarusian side on the matter.”

Following the results of the meeting with the heads of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Lukashenka ordered to send a group of Belarusian specialists there to examine the situation on site and clear out what humanitarian aid is needed there. Moreover, specialists must work out concrete decisions on developing economic cooperation of Belarus with South Ossetia and Abkhazia.