‘Stop babbling nonsense’. Lukashenka slams Russian media, comments on border protection
On November 14, Alyaksandr Lukashenka commented on the cooperation of Belarusian and Russian border agencies and threatened not to renew the agreement on border protection.
According to him, Belarus has completely fulfilled its obligations under the agreement of 1995. Moreover, the Belarusian border agency is several times more effective on the borders that Russia and Belarus share, the president believes.
However, he also focused on some problems between the sides. So, not all citizens of third countries seamlessly pass the Belarusian-Russian border even whenpossessing a Russian visa; sometimes they are returned back to the Latvian-Russian or Ukrainian-Russian border, Lukashenka stressed.
“What’s all this about? And this issue must be solved together with Russians,” Lukashenka said.
Another problem is freight transport’s queueing at the Belarusian-Russian border; it sometimes make more than ten km, the head of state said. According to him, the Russian side often sends trucks inspected by their Belarusian counterparts to the border, customs, phytosanitary control.
“What for? Someone wants extra bribes? We know how they work, I informed the president of Russia about it,” he said.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka instructed the officials count what protecting the shared border costs Belarus. He also recalled that Belarus had recently purchased from Russia Sukhoi Su-30sm planes for the ‘huge amount of money’.
“I do not say we will not carry out its functions. What I mean is that they should stop babbling nonsense in the media and even at the state level that the Belarusians is a stone around their neck,” Lukashenka stated.
In his opinion, one should show the Russian public that ‘Belarusians are not parasites’, and Russians in Belarus are better treated than in Russia. If the leadership of the Russian Federation does not accept Belarus’ conditions, Minsk will have to take steps to protect its own interests alone.
During Thursday’s meeting, Security Council Secretary Stanislau Zas said that Belarus would initiate amendments to the agreement on mutual efforts to protect the common border. The document needs updating, he added.
