Lukashenka gets mixed up: “Don’t bow us, don’t rebuke”
- 18.06.2010, 16:38
The Belarusian dictator furiously attacked Russia during his visit to Mahilou region.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka is not sure whether the country owes Russia for gas. He said the parties had managed to settle all difficult issues. “We are conducting negotiations on the issue. From Russia’s point of view, this is a debt. But judging from my words, we do not have a debt. I think we’ll come to terms,” Lukashenka told in answer to Interfax’s question during his working visit to Mahilou region on Friday.
“If we agree this is a debt, and Russia finds it difficult to forgive it and preserve the last year’s price, if we admit this debt, we will pay. We will find the money,” Lukashenka stressed.
The ruler admitted that the country ‘works in the gas sphere on last year’s conditions”. “The country has just begun to tackle the financial and economic crisis, there are lots of problems now,” he noted underlining: “Do not bow us in such a way.” “Prices for Ukraine were decreased by 30%, prices for Hungary are reduced, so why is it decided to raise prices for us by 30%?” he noted. According to him, “Belarus is another value for Russia. Don’t rebuke us for a desire to get everything free. You cannot behave in such a way towards Belarus. You shouldn’t reduce and fix prices for other countries, but raise them for us,” he said.
According to him, “The Russians, Gazprom, won’t gain much profit from this, but can lose a lot”.
Lukashenka said Russian president Dmitry Medvedev told him during their recent meeting that “he will discuss all matters, determine his position and call me within 2 or 3 days. You heard, he ‘phoned’ me on TV.” “We are not dying. We will survive. But it is unacceptable to behave in such a way towards the state that is your closet ally, the people that doesn’t differ from the people of Russia, the people you were rotting in the same trenches. And these are not emotions,” he said.
Belarus will sign all documents necessary for the Customs Union if customs duties on oil products are lifted from Belarus from July 1, and oil duties are lifted from January 1, 2011, the ruler states.
“I’ve made some proposals. I can tell what. To move to the Customs Union and sign all documents, all customs duties must be lifted. I said okay, let’s abolish all duties from January 2011, but now, as a goodwill gesture, let’s abolish duties on oil products,” he said.
“In this case, we are ready to sign all documents on the Customs Union, in which Russia is most interested, not waiting for January 1,” Lukashenka noted.
“The main principle is: if there are no equal conditions, how can the Customs Union be discussed?” he underlined.