Belarusian Telegraph Agency
March 28, 2014
Belarus president: We are not afraid of NATO, but have to respond to its actions
MINSK: NATO’s actions in the region need an adequate response. The statement was made by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko in an interview for the Ukrainian TV show Shuster Live on 26 March, BelTA has learned.
“We see their concrete actions. Therefore, we are forced to at least say: we don’t think you are going to fight us tomorrow and we don’t think you are a potential aggressor, but, please, don’t move on to the east, stop, let’s cooperate in economic, political matters but stop your advance in military sense,” said the President.
“What is the advance I am talking about? Militarization, tanks, aircraft, other weapons, soldiers moving closer to us. Why? The same thing was done after East Germany and West Germany were reunited. Back then we heard sworn testaments that NATO would not move closer. Now not only former socialist states but ex-USSR republics are NATO members. Georgia and Ukraine are willing to be NATO members. Why do you fail to deliver on your promises?” noted Alexander Lukashenko.
“Commitments are failing everywhere and international agreements are violated. We are not afraid of NATO but we have to adequately respond. If you stage an army exercise, we do the same. You keep combat-ready troops, we are forced to do the same in case, God forbid, a military conflict happens and we have to cause unacceptable damage to you. It is just a reason for you to think whether it is a good idea to invade Belarus again like the Nazis did. It is what the situation is all about,” explained the Belarusian head of state.
====================================================================
Belarusian Telegraph Agency
March 28, 2014
NATO’s Ukraine undesirable for Belarus, Russia
MINSK: Russia and Belarus would not like to see Ukraine as part of NATO. The statement was made by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko in an interview for the Ukrainian TV show Shuster Live on 26 March, BelTA has learned.
“I’ve told Putin that making Crimea part of Russia is not a problem. Doing something in Ukraine, helping someone is not a problem either. But one has to bear in mind the consequences at every step,” said the Belarusian leader.
“What is the most dangerous thing for Belarus and Russia now? I and President Putin understand that the most dangerous thing would be Ukraine’s accession to NATO or NATO’s deployment and reinforcement in Ukraine. It is the worst thing that could happen for Russia and Belarus! It is more important than Crimea. I said that, too,” stated the Belarus President.
“On the other hand, did the events in Crimea give a reason to Ukraine to reciprocate? Yes, they did. If, God forbid, NATO troops enter Ukraine and straddle the country — on request of the government because the president has yet to be elected — and will secure the country’s integrity with support of the Ukrainian people, it will be the most undesirable consequence for Russia after what has happened,” said the head of state.
“The Ukrainian authorities have exposed themselves, giving Russia a reason to go and protect Crimea. The move has virtually invited NATO to come here, without a thought of the consequences. It is the most dangerous thing in the situation! It is what we should think about now. While negotiating with the West, Russia should keep in mind this possibility. It may be even more dangerous and more important for us. Russia is a nuclear power and so on while NATO’s arrival is a more dangerous thing for us,” believes Alexander Lukashenko.
The Belarus President also outlined his vision of how the Crimean events would proceed if Ukraine was a NATO member. “Certainly, it would not have happened. The thought of assaulting one NATO member and getting a war with the entire NATO bloc would have been a powerful deterrent. Nobody would have dared to go as far as waging a war on NATO,” remarked the Belarusian head of state. “But the argument would have been effective only until Russian citizens and Russian-speaking people had started dying in Crimea”.
“If bloodshed had started, neither Russia nor Belarus would have been able to stay indifferent about it regardless of considerations about NATO. But these are only speculations. I don’t think there are so many cutthroats in Ukraine as to start the bloodshed. God forbid, I don’t even want to think about it,” concluded Alexander Lukashenko.
Source