Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called on the European Union and the U.S. to abandon the policy of sanctions and resume full-scale interaction, while saying that his country's economic problems have been prompted from abroad.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called on the European Union and the U.S. to abandon the policy of sanctions and resume full-scale interaction.
"I am sure the time has come to abandon these artificial barriers and outdated stereotypes and clear the path toward full-format interaction," Lukashenko said at the Tajik Technological University in Dushanbe on Saturday.
"Double standards, attempts to apply pressure and whatever sanctions have never been and will never be a constructive element in politics," he said.
"We cannot be blamed for the complications in relations with the EU and the U.S.," Lukashenko said. "We sincerely seek to maintain neighborliness and constructive interaction," he said.
"Interest in dialogue and normal relations between us should be objectively present on both sides," Lukashenko said. "We are not panhandling for cooperation, but we are offering it," he said.
Belarus did not initiate its current rift with the United States, Lukashenko said. "On the contrary, Belarus has always been a responsible partner of the United States in combating terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, and trafficking in humans," he said.
"We are providing some assistance to Washington even today in resolving the well-known problem of Afghanistan," he said.
As for the the problems in Belarus’s financial sector,Lukashenkoclaimed theywere mainly provoked from abroad, and the situation is normalizing now.
"Thank God we have balanced the [exchange] rate, and we are building a normal financial situation," Lukashenko said at the Tajik Technological University in Dushanbe on Saturday.
This situation "has taught us a lot. All problems we are facing are surmountable," he said.
In explaining why he believes these problems were prompted from abroad, Lukashenko said, "The gas price has grown fivefold, and oil prices have also jumped dramatically in the past years. We have also paid a lot for the common economic area, which we are seeking to build," he said.
"We have managed to stabilize the situation in a short period of time by taking comprehensive resolute measures," he said.
