Alexander Rar: “Lukashenka is Belarusian Yanukovych”
- 20.10.2008, 11:17
Yesterday a public teleconference with notorious German political analyst, an expert of the German Council on Foreign Policy, a director of Russia and Eurasia centre was held by the Belarusian TV. In fact, the German political analyst acted as a lobbyist of the Belarusian dictator in Europe.
“It seems to me that if not in the end of this year, then in the beginning of the next, Lukashenka would be invited for consultations to Brussels,” Rar stated.
The German analyst expects that the relations between the EU and A. Lukashenka are to develop analogously to the relations between the EU and the former Prime Minister of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych. “I forecast that the relations with president Lukashenka are to be built in the same way as with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yanukovych 2-3 years ago. After the Orange Revolution nobody wanted to speak to him, he was considered Moscow’s henchman, and then he visited Brussels many times during his prime minister’s term”, A. Rar said.
The political analyst stated that “Europe hasn’t absolutely changed its approach towards Belarus, but it is changing in front of our eyes”.
“It has started in 2007, when the West though Belarus was a kind of a victim in the energy battle with Russia. Certain solidarity in relations to Moscow was expressed,” he reminded.
“After the situation inside Belarus started to change, certain aggravators disappeared, I mean political prisoners who have been released, and who had a chance to take part in the parliamentary elections, Europeans started to look at Belarus differently,” A. Rar continued.
According to A. Rar, an important argument for Europe was the beginning of privatization of Belarusian enterprises. “One shouldn’t forget that Belarus is opening for privatization not just for Russian investors. Western firms are applying pressure on our governments for them to start a concrete dialogue with your country, and then the business would go there too. Everybody wants to gain money on the Belarusian market which is not so little and which is situated in the centre of Europe,” he explained.
Answering to the question about attitude towards the Belarusian opposition, A. Rar noted that “the West sees that there is no organized opposition in Belarus, it is split without one leader”.
“Today most Belarusian citizens support the course of the government and president Lukashenka. The West does not want to wait 5-10 years till something would change in Belarus, the time has come to work with Belarus”, he concluded.