KEEP FREE REPUBLIC ALIVE!!!
PLEASE MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION TODAY!!!!
Posted on 02/22/2015 3:36:52 PM PST by WhiskeyX
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says his country is ready for a "constructive dialogue" with NATO.
Speaking to top Belarusian military officials in Minsk on February 19, Lukashenka said: "As a sovereign state we are open, in particular, to constructive dialogue with NATO on parity and transparency principles."
He added that "we have a lot of common issues [with NATO]; joint work on which fully meets Belarus’s interests."
Lukashenka -- who has ruled for 21 years and been called the last dictator of Europe -- said the fighting in Ukraine has shown that Belarus must have an army capable of protecting "its national interests."
"If need be, we have to be able to defend the independence and sovereignty of our country," he said.
Lukashenka added that additional finances will be allocated for the ongoing systemic renovation of arms in Belarusian armed forces which is scheduled to be accomplished by 2020.
Based on reporting by BelTA and Interfax
Isn’t this the same guy who wanted to rejoin with Russia?
Lukashenko knows Russia is lukewarm at best about the Union State.
He is wooing NATO but nothing will come of it for a lot of reasons.
What’s his game, I wonder?
Why is it “Lukashenka” and not “Lukashenko”? In slavic languages the “a” at the end is for females.
He wanted to rejoin Russia, but with him as leader, Putin ended that.
Attracting more money from Moscow, greater integration of the Belarus Armed Forces with those of Russia, cheaper gas supplies from Russia, greater integration of the Eurasian Union.
Putin doesn’t need to worry.
A mistake on the part of the journalist.
His name is Lukashenko.
Most Belarusians speak Russian and feel close to Moscow. Others don’t.
The White Russians used to talk it up a bit back when the idea was popular. I can't believe Lukashenka ever actually wanted to give up his power and independence though.
Russia, it must be said, squandered it's popularity and any chance of a willing reunion. Russian interests - mostly Putin cronies - have conspired to capture all of Belarus's most valuable economic assets. For example, they now own all the pipelines through Belarus.
All Americans speak English and many feel close to London. But few would support an armed invasion of the US by Britain. We'll find out how Belarussians feel when Putin sends his "rebels" in to attack Belarus.
Well, if they burned Washington DC again, that could be a plus.
Ownership of assets in a foreign land is always iffy, especially if the host government can make it painfully expensive to protect your assets. Lukashenko has figured out that Belarus is the next domino, and is looking for ways to make it too costly for Putin to invade. He had better move fast.
The thing is Lukashenko is even more of a Commie than Putin is.
I think he's been living on borrowed time for a decade or more already. Who is going to come to his aid? Luka has no friends anywhere. The most he can hope for are protests from places like the 'Stans. But they can't help him. They are on the menu too.
The countries overrun by the Germans (during WWII) and the Russians (during the Cold War era) were socialist, fascist, monarchical, and so on. Who cares? The main thing is to prevent the further enlargement of Russia, in population and territorial terms, and to prevent Russian troops from getting closer to the borders of the wealthiest and most productive regions of Europe. If Belarus becomes a capitalist country in the interim, so much the better, but it's not really a prerequisite for helping it remain sovereign within its borders.
Belarus is going to be invaded by Russia any day now.
He doesn't need any. His strategic location means aid will arrive from his neighbors irrespective of whether he was friendly with them. North Korea was mainly friendly with the Russians. But when UN forces approached the Yalu in 1950, the Chinese jumped in to help the North Koreans because a unified Korea under American tutelage was unacceptable to them.
Too funny. Lukashenko was the last person I’d imagine that would run screaming from Putin.
Putin’s machinations in the Ukraine really scared him.
Note also that the Stans have a unique opportunity to fight the Russians at little cost in infrastructure, while obtaining valuable combat experience that will be useful if Belarus falls. If they’re smart, they’ll send “volunteer” units to help beat back the Russian invasion. Their dilemma is that they are relying on Russia to ward off the Chinese, who have territorial ambitions in the region. And these ambitions may involve physical annexation. Ultimately, their best hope for remaining independent may be some kind of collective security agreement with the West.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.