English

All outside attempts to “kindle fire of riot” fail because of Belarusians’ unity, Lukashenka says

 

The unity of the Belarusian nation thwarts all external attempts to “kindle the fire of a riot or a destructive revolution” in Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said during a meeting that was held in the Palace of the Republic on Monday on the occasion of forthcoming Independence Day (July 3).

The unity of the nation is precisely what forms the backbone of Belarus’ economic development model, Mr. Lukashenka said in his speech.

“Together with our closest allies, above all, brotherly Russia, we maintain the external security and defense capability of our country and guard the western borders of the Union State,” he said. “I think that it wouldn’t even occur to anyone today to threaten Belarus with war.”

By creating its own social and economic model, Belarus has managed to ensure its own economic security, Mr. Lukashenka said. “Despite stiff competition, our products find their way to external markets,” he said. “The country has decent living standards and earns as much as it can, with its mind and labor, and not by selling off national wealth or inflating financial bubbles.”

Mr. Lukashenka said that Belarus was facing both objective threats, stemming from its history and geography and the state of other countries, and subjective threats, which are bound up with the Belarusians’ own weaknesses.

The objective threats include shortages of natural resources, growing outside competition and Belarus’ objective dependence on the state of the global economy, which has not recovered from a crisis, Mr. Lukashenka said. “Our country is gradually learning to cope with these threats, but we’re doing this too slowly and are not keeping up with the rapidly changing external situation,” he said. // BelaPAN