After last week’s TV election debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the race seems to be close. Belsat TV asked Valery Kavaleuski, a representative of the Belarusian-American Association and former diplomat , which of the two U.S. presidential candidates is more advantageous for Belarus.
Which of the two hopefuls would meet the national interests of Belarus the most?
Hillary Clinton knows much about Belarus. She visited Belarus together with her husband, President Bill Clinton, in 1994. She had to do with elaborating the Belarusian issue, including the legislation and initiatives, when she was a senator and then U.S. Secretary of. She even handed out the first prize for women’s courage to Nasta Palazhanka in 2011. She has a good grip of our situation and gives a top priority to values – democratization, human rights. She is well aware of Belarus’ being shy of them.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Unlike Clinton, Trump is not bothered about the Belarusian issue. He has no experience in international relations and does not understand the basic principles of making foreign policy. He is dubious about NATO as a guarantor of stability in Europe.
It is noteworthy that he takes well to dictatorial regimes, pays compliments to Vladimir Putin is skeptical about Ukraine. For unknown reasons, Trump refused to meet with Petro Poroshenko when he visited the USA and attended the UN General Assembly. This was a clear message. He has repeatedly said that he would be ready to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea as legitimate. In Trump’s inner circle there are many people who have a direct interest in Russia, and, as some media say, may be under a certain influence of Russia. The policy which Hillary Clinton is about to pursue is more in line with the national interests of Belarus.
Read also: Belarus wants to normalize relations with USA, Russia fine with it – Lukashenka
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”369596″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]Michelle Obama, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Kolya Lukashenka, Barack Obama after session of UN General Assembly, September, 2015
Could Trump theoretically make friends with Lukashenka?
In theory, anything is possible. I guess if Lukashenka had carried out certain political reforms and adjusted its domestic and foreign policy, he could have counted on a fully realized meeting with Barack Obama – earlier, not now, when his term is coming to an end.
If Lukashenka had brought about certain changes in the country, he would even have had a chance to meet with Hillary Clinton. As we can see, almost all post-Soviet presidents, even those of authoritarian countries such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, meet with US presidents, which happens often and regularly, and is not uncommon. What is a sensation for us is a normality for other countries.
Read also: Hope for Belarus-USA new stage. Russia’s main ally meets with Pentagon rep
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