Mikola Statkevich: “Will West draw Belarus over from Russia? A strange and naive hope!”

• 14.10.2008, 14:44

According to Mikola Statkevich, head of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada), suspending of visa bans on most officials and Alyaksandr Lukashenka “doesn’t meet morality”.

“In the end, they could have allowed all to travel. A question is only in a person, who governs it. Some servants and lackeys, fulfilling decisions, have become guilty for an unknown reason. But the person, who gave orders, has been declared innocent. It is an illogical decision,” Mikola Statkevich told in an interview to Radio Svaboda.

Statkevich thinks that the EU’s decision will hardly influence the situation in Belarus. Though, it probably will “restrain authorities from direct repressions” for some time.

“Though the presidential elections are coming soon, and my friends advise me to be careful, as I was thrown to prisons two times before the elections. As soon as it concerns the authorities, it won’t be an obstacle for them,” the leader of the BSDP is sure.

In his view, a motivation of this step of the West is a desire to draw Belarus from Russia in some way.

“A strange and naive hope. This decision will only let Lukashenka take more from Russia. This decision won’t stop Lukashenka from recognising South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But he will sell this decision Russia at a higher price. That’s all,” Mikola Statkevich said.