Experts: “Lukashenka tries to sit between two stools”

• 20.11.2009, 8:45

Any attempts of Belarus to create a visibility of actions to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia are connected with a desire of Minsk to sit between two stools.

Alexander Skakov, the head of the CIS department at the Russian Strategic Research Institute told this to a correspondent of REGNUM information agency.

“It’s not a desire to please Moscow, but an intention to pretend Minsk would like to move forward to Russia,” the politologist thinks. “I wouldn’t suppose Belarus is ready to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It’s nothing more than playing in an attempt to picture itself as Russia’s ally. In real fact, Belarus seeks West’s support and wants to change the country’s image. I don’t think recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia re among Belarus’s priorities,” the expert believes.

“Moreover, we need to understand that the question of a status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was pushed to the sidelines. This is not topical either for Washington or for Brussels and other Europe’s capitals. Massaging of this issue doesn’t meet interests of any parties,” Alexander Skakov concluded.

As we have reported earlier, on November 17, a Belarusian parliamentary group left for Georgia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia to study possibilities of recognition of the two Caucasian republics.