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Lukashenka: There is no conflict between Belarus and Russia

There is no conflict between Belarus and Russia, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said Thursday while meeting with the visiting governor of Russia’s province of Kursk, Aleksandr Mikhailov, as quoted by BelaPAN.

“There is no conflict between the Russians and the Belarusians and cannot be any,” the Belarusian leader said. “Everything that is going on is absolutely subjective. It is an interpersonal conflict, and that is why you should view it this way.”

“I’m being increasingly pushed to react to what media say regarding me and Belarus, but I’m not going to do this,” Mr. Lukashenka said.

“We in Belarus will not allow any reaction to this mudslinging, no matter how many such films they make,” he said, apparently referring to a series of scandalous broadcasts about him by NTV, a major Russian government-controlled channel.

“All that you have seen is not about Belarus or the Belarusian president,” Mr. Lukashenka said after noting that he had not seen those broadcasts. “It is a film about them. They want everyone to be like them.”

"You should know that it is impossible to split the Belarusians and the Russians, irrespective of whether or not politicians want this. There are no politicians who could break our friendship and brotherhood,” Mr. Lukashenka said. “We don’t take turns to the left or to the right. We are an absolutely reliable and balanced partner.”

According to him, it is erroneous to believe that “Belarus and Lukashenka have nowhere to go.” “The world is huge,” he said. “If once we move in the necessary direction, Belarus will not be left alone. I only don’t know if this would be beneficial to the leadership of the Russian Federation. But this definitely would not be beneficial to our peoples.”

“You are our people and… we are ready to share the last piece of bread with you and provide every kind of assistance and as much support as we can,” the Belarusian leader said to the Kursk delegation.

NTV has already aired three parts of its scandalous film about Mr. Lukashenka.

The documentary is censored from the NTV version broadcast in Belarus but can be watched on the Internet.

The first part of “Kryostny Batska” (The Godbatska), broadcast on July 4, implicated the Belarusian leader in the disappearances of his opponents and told about the mysterious death of opposition leader Henadz Karpenka, the private life of Mr. Lukashenka, who is widely dubbed “Batska” (Father), his natural son Kolya, and Russia’s generous support of Mr. Lukashenka’s regime, which was said to have totaled billions of dollars. The film featured an interview with former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin and Mr. Lukashenka’s statement that led to his labeling as a professed admirer of Adolf Hitler.

On July 16, NTV broadcast Part Two, which focused on Mr. Lukashenka's lavish holiday in the Austrian Alps in March 2002, which was paid for by a local casino owner, and the Belarusian leader's friendly ties with ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and emigre tycoon Boris Berezovsky.

In addition, "Kryostny Batska 2" dealt with the arrest of NTV reporters in Minsk and their interrogation in an abandoned house outside the city a few years ago.

The film ended with the narrator saying, "Hitler also used to enjoy good ratings, but everyone remembers how it all ended."

The third part of “Kryostny Batska” was broadcast on August 15 and the next one is expected on September 5.