The answer will be reasonable

Completion of the harvest campaign, an acute situation at the border and sanctions pressure: these and other topical issues were the focus of attention at the meeting between the President and the leadership of the Council of Ministers

First of all, Aleksandr Lukashenko touched on the completion of the autumn field works and early preparation for spring. The main requirement is that everything must be done to a high standard and in the best possible time. The President noted that food prices are generally very stable, and this will improve and strengthen the financial situation of farms. Special emphasis is placed on the preparation and repair of equipment for spring while the strategic task for the near future is land reclamation.
In total, about nine million tonnes of grain have been harvested in the country this year.
“This is a good harvest for this year. This amount will be enough to provide people with bread and bakery products, and there will be enough fodder for the livestock that we have and plan to have next year,” believes Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The true face of  ‘democracy’

The attention of the world community is now riveted on what is happening these days on the Polish border. Refugees from countries destroyed by the ‘democratic West’ — Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria — are now trying to break through to the European Union via our country. There are about five routes in the world along which ‘millions fleeing from war’ travel; however, attention is now focused on Belarus. The President noted the work of the media,

“Journalists are doing a great job by showing the true face of this democracy. Finally, our society and others will understand what kind of democracy, human rights and freedom of speech they have there in the West, which they have continuously lectured us about.”

It’s impossible to write dispassionately about how the Polish authorities and border guards behave towards refugees. Aleksandr Lukashenko gives real examples of the actions of the Polish side,

“They beat people and break ribs — people are bruised and broken. They are simply thrown out on the state border. And what is unacceptable (I don’t know why mass media don’t show it every day) they fire weapons over heads of refugees in our direction. As a border guard I can tell you that if a single shot was fired from the neighbouring territory in Soviet times, everything would have been destroyed over there. It is a terrible violation of the state border, when you start shooting in the direction from the neighbouring state.”

This is about humanity and European values. The Head of State also added, “You see that this kid asks for water to drink but they stand like fascists. Gestapo! They turn on floodlights at night, loudspeakers, to disturb the children.”

Helping hand

The task of the Belarusians is to help people who fled from the destroyed countries. The President issues clear instructions. The first is to pay attention to pregnant women and children, “This is a complete disaster! There are a lot of women 8-9 months pregnant. This is something we will have to deal with as they will probably give birth here. They say they are not leaving the camp. ‘We’ll stay here!’ But how’s this going to work out? These are Kurds, Syrians, Afghans and others — the temperature is plus thirty now in their countries while we already have a minus! They do not know what it is like to spend the winter in these forests in Belarus.”
The option offered by the Head of State is to place the children of refugees, and maybe even their mothers, in sanatoriums.
“Pregnant women and children are the number one question. Take a look and decide. You cannot leave them, especially children,” said the Head of State.
The second question is to organise the delivery of dry firewood to the refugee camps. Meanwhile, the President instructed the Belarusian Foreign Ministry to raise relevant issues in the UN and other international structures.

Provocations will not work out

The Head of State also spoke about a dangerous trend,

“There were attempts to transfer weapons, ammunition and explosives to these people in the camp.

Weapons are mainly supplied (together with the Russians we are keeping this issue under control, and we have talked with Putin on this topic) from Donbass. What are these weapons for? They want to arrange a confrontation here. They want to push our frontier guards with theirs, our military with theirs. Any machine gun, pistol, provocation — and there will be a military conflict.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko continued, “It is necessary for the Defence Ministry, the KGB and border troops to ensure control over the movement of NATO and Polish troops. 

You see that there are 15,000 military personnel, tanks, armoured vehicles, helicopters and aircraft over there already. They’ve been deployed closer to our border. Brazenly. Without warning anyone. 

Although they are supposed to warn us in line with the agreements. You are personally responsible for the movement of troops in the adjacent territory. You have to see them and you need plans to counteract them if anything happens. We are not deploying (I did not give such instructions) our grouping of the Armed Forces. But we have to see things. And foresee everything. We don’t want a little war to break out at the border while we are not prepared for it.”
Via Vladimir Putin, the Belarusian Head of State passed on a request to the Russian Defence Ministry to join the watch on the western borders of the Union State, “They had sent strategic bombers accompanied by our fighter jets. We should constantly monitor the situation at the border. Yes, those are bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons. But we have no other way out. We have to see what they are doing beyond. Russians, Belarusians should control the situation together.”
The President was informed that, together with the Russian Tu-22s, the Su-30SM fighters of the Belarusian Air Force controlled the border area.

Threats force us to answer

Conducting a meeting with the Council of Ministers, the Head of State noted that they began to frighten Belarus too much with the fifth package of sanctions. In this regard, he recalled the instruction to the Government: nothing can be forgiven. Moreover, he asked a question,

“Poland is threatening us with border closure. They are welcome to do it then fewer opposition-minded people will go there. I have just heard what these brainless people have been babbling about. They are contemplating the closure of transit through Belarus. But it will not go through Ukraine as the Russian border is closed there. There are no routes through the Baltic states. But if it is us who will close it for Poles and, for example, Germans, what will happen then?”

Aleksandr Lukashenko is sure that the country should not stop at anything defending its sovereignty. At the same time, the President recalled that the pumping of natural gas through Belarus was doubled, “We provide heat to Europe, and they are threatening us with border closure. What if we block natural gas transit? Therefore, I would recommend the leadership of Poland, Lithuanians and other brainless folk to think hard before opening their mouths.”
The Head of State warned,

“If they impose additional sanctions — indigestible and unacceptable to us — we must respond. We agreed with you six months ago on the way we would do it.”

Pandemic: you must not relax

The Head of State paid special attention to the topic of the pandemic. He stated that the incidence of COVID-19 in Belarus began to gradually decrease, and this can be said not with cautious optimism, as before, but with confidence, “The decline in morbidity is evident.” Moreover, this is typical even for Minsk, where, until recently, there were high incidence rates.

The President also reminded people that, at the end of the year, from all sources, the country will spend $2bn to fight the pandemic and save lives.

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by
PHOTOs BY BELTA