Alyaksandr Lukashenka answered journalists’ questions after voting on October 11.
Relations with the West
I have fulfilled all the terms set by the West. You know what terms I am speaking about.
Economic reforms
It is not up to me to decide. I am ready for any changes and reforms, even the revolutionary ones.
But nobody can accuse me of acting against the people’s will. If you give me carte blanche to make any changes, we will do it. But we want to follow the evolution way and avoid destruction as much as possible.
Ukraine
Turchinov asked me whether Belarus would become a landing site for attacks on Ukraine. I said: “Belarus will never be a site for attacks on Ukraine or on any other country.”
Just do not bring militants here. We are tired of detaining them at the border – they are bringing grenades, baseball bats and traumatic weapons with them…
Relations with Russia
Russia is closest to us no matter what the Western mass media say about our turning away from it…
Of course, we will have our own position. For example, some people did not like our position as regards Ukraine. But even you support it now!
Russian military air base
We do not need any bases.
We have been building the Union State together with Russia and we are CSTO members now. We have signed agreements on economic and political stability.
We will use our own Armed Forces to settle conflicts if necessary. But Russia will help us within in a few days.
What is the difference in placing airplanes in, say, Smolensk?
We need air defence. We are working on our own missile systems that will make it impossible to wage war on Belarus.
There are good missile systems that could be used for Belarus and Russia. We have an agreement with Russia and we must defend them.
If Russia agrees to give us 24 SU, the best Belarusian pilots will be there tomorrow! But I doubt that Russia is ready and will create this air base.
10 airplanes modernised at our plants will be ready in November.
What problems would the air base solve? What is the difference in allocating SU-29 in Babruisk, Pskov or Smolensk? 500 kilometres is nothing for such interceptors.
Political liberalization
The election will be over at 8 p.m. – start observing the law.
We know all oppositionists by name: there are 400 of them. But there are gapers following them.
We are not afraid of these 400 people. We beware of the gapers.
