Russian Ambassador disproves Lukashenka’s statements
- 7.10.2009, 17:15
The diplomat states that the Russian authorities hadn’t linked the issue of granting financial aid to Belarus with the issue of South Ossetia and Abkhazia’s recognition by Belarus.
Alexander Surikov, Russia’s Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador in Minsk said about that in an interview to Interfax.
“The Russian side represented by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin officially stated that Russia in no way links recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by the independent sovereign Belarusian state with any political and economic actions of Russia, and all the more so with $500 mln loan,” A. Surikov noted.
“What journalists could invent is a different question. So we treat the latest statements by the Belarusian side on this issue with some lack of understanding,” the Russian ambassador said.
Last week Alyaksandr Lukashenka stated that independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia should have been recognized long ago, but Russia is to blame for that had not happened.
“The ally is to blame for that himself. Some people in Russia wanted to tame us. Central mass media controlled by state officials started a regular smearing campaign against us,” Lukashenka said. “Maybe some people in Russia didn’t want us to recognize them (the republics) at all,” Lukashenka said. “They simply started proper mud flinging against us in the press. Ha! He has not recognized, as he hadn’t been given $500 million loan. As if I am to recognize these republics for money!” the leader of the state said.
In this connection Surikov said that “reference to some mass media is not completely clear for us. It is journalists’ job to write and conjecture what seems logical to them”.
“I would base upon the reality we have. We have understanding to the concern of the Belarusian side not to do harm by this recognition primarily to themselves and to the states which appeared after the well-known events, to Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” the Russian Ambassador stated.
“None of Russian politicians, I mean chief Russian politicians, the former president of Russia Vladimir Putin and the present Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, have ever exerted pressure on Belarus in any printed outlet with a demand to recognize these republics. We have always been proceeding from the fact that Belarus is an independent state, and we believe it is its exclusive right to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” Surikov underlined. Besides, as said by him, “we assume that as said by Belarus, this issue should first be studied by the parliament, and after that the final decision is to be made by the head of the country”.
“How painful it is for us that Belarus hasn’t found its position in that issue yet? I think it is not so painful,” the diplomat said. He emphasized the fact that these states (Abkhazia and South Ossetia) exist de facto, they have economic, diplomatic, military and technical relations with Russia. They receive necessary aid; people of those republics have breathed freely, though we certainly still have many problems there”. “It would not be bad for Belarus to maintain such relations too. In which form? It is the thing to decide by the republic, its government, its nation. We understand that clearly,” the Russian ambassador stated.