Turkish media about Belarusian dictator’s strange visit to Istanbul

• 5.10.2010, 11:20

Lukashenka and his son Kolya were met by the aide to governor of Istanbul at the airport.

As Radio Svaboda reports most Turkish media informed about Lukashenka’s visit by reprinting a message of state information agency Anadolu Ajansı:

“Alyaksandr Lukashenka has arrived in Turkey. Lukashenka has flied on his private jet. Aide to Istanbul’s governor Celalettin Yuksel and other interested persons met him at the state hotel of Ataturk Airport. After a short rest in the state hotel, Lukashenka left the airport. By the way, his son Nikolai Lukashenka arrived in Istanbul as well. Six-year-old Nikolai Lukashenka, who had come off the plane with his father, was standing with security guards patiently waiting for his dad to leave the hotel receiving room. Then he and his father got into an official car and left the airport. Lukashenka is expected to have a dinner with president Abdullah Gul in residence Tarabya Kosku in Istanbul and have a meeting with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in PM’s office in Istanbul.”

If the objective of the trip to Turkey is a working visit, why did Lukashenka fly to Istanbul, but not in the capital Ankara? If it is holidays and a couple of working meetings, why is there no information about this? Or Alyaksandr Lukashenka has a matter in Turkey he needed to solve personally but was unable to add it to an agenda of an official visit, because Ankara didn’t want to send an official invitation as it adhere to common European position in foreign policy?

Or it maybe it was a Byzantine demonstration for Moscow: look, I am quiet, I am absolutely quiet? Such a visit amid the election campaign is not for every head of state.

Photo: Anadolu Ajansı