Lukashenka: New stage in my life and probably in life of Belarus society about to begin

Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who was re-elected for his fifth term of office on October 11, has met with Christoph Leitl, President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, and Karlheinz Kopf, Second President of the National Council of Austria in Minsk on Tuesday.

“A new stage in my life and probably in the life of our society as a whole is about to begin. I have yet to think more about it,” he said.

According to him, the meeting with representatives of the Austrian government after the presidential election in Belarus was no accident.

“Back then it seemed to me that the West had somehow distributed its roles in the post-Soviet space and Belarus received Austria, which is a high-tech country that looks like us in some aspects,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes him as saying.

Lukashenka called the current relations between the West and Belarus a ‘thaw’.

‘Convincing victory’

The exchange of amiabilities continued when Karlheinz Kopf, a representative of the Austrian People’s Party, did not leave a favour unanswered:

“You celebrated a convincing victory at the presidential election on Sunday. Yesterday the European Union made the first step towards the abolition of sanctions. I am convinced that other steps will follow, and a new page will be definitely opened in our relations, a new era will begin,” Karlheinz Kopf noted.

He also stressed that Austria has traditionally played an important role in building contacts between Belarus and the EU.

Belsat.eu, following BelTA