MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. Moscow will provide a firm response to any attempts to destabilize the situation in Belarus and to turn the republic away from Russia and the Union State, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Belarusian colleague Vladimir Makei.
According to the minister, "Moscow will provide an adequate and firm response based on facts to those who are trying to derail the situation in Belarus", as well as those who wish "to turn the republic away from Russia and undermine the foundations of the Union State." "We believe that every issue must be resolved in accordance with the republic’s constitution with respect to the norms of the law stipulated in it," Lavrov stressed.
Coordination Council
Some members of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition have adopted an anti-Russian stance and call for severing ties with organizations created in the post-Soviet space, Sergey Lavrov stated.
"I don’t want to offer opinions or make any judgements, but some last names on the list that was announced as the [list of] members of the Coordination Council are familiar to us. And for us a whole lot of these last names are associated with individuals who call for a cultural split with Russia, and use the slogan of Belarusization in order to infringe on the Russian language and reduce cooperation with structures created in the post-Soviet space, even putting forward the ideas of leaving the CSTO and the EAEU, and joining NATO," he said.
The top diplomat quoted some of the anti-Russian remarks voiced by one of the Council members. "We are familiar with the statement of at least one member of the Coordination Council that Russians are "a scoundrel nation" and that "Belarus has never been [part of] Russia and has always been [part of] Poland." These are the statements by one of the representatives which were voiced during the previous career stages but which illustrate the views of at least some members of this process," the minister pointed out.
Moscow sees no sense in establishing contacts with representatives of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition until the Council obtains a legal status and a clear program, Russia's top diplomat noted.
"Given these conditions, we sincerely believe that it makes no sense for us to meet with [the Council’s] representatives who request such contacts until they establish their structure in accordance with Belarusian law," the diplomatic chief said.
Lavrov noted that "there is still no clear explanation from the leaders of this mechanism" about the program, initially published on ex-presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya’s website, but removed later. According to the minister, the program confirms the anti-Russian emphasis.
"There are no clear explanations, what exactly has happened and what is this Council’s program after all," he underscored.
The top diplomat pointed out that Russia works with the opposition in other countries, but only if it "acts within the legal framework."
Earlier, the Coordination Council Presidium member Pavel Latushko told TASS that the Council had sent a request for a meeting with the senior staff of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s embassy but received no response.
The presidential election in Belarus was held on August 9. According to the final results of the Central Election Commission, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus got 80.1% of the vote, while Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who was considered as his main opponent, came in second with 10.12%. Subsequently, Tikhanovskaya refused to recognize the outcome of the vote. Immediately after the exit poll results were announced, mass protests erupted in the country which in the early days was accompanied by clashes between police and protesters. The opposition’s Coordination Council is urging people to carry on protesting. In contrast, the Belarusian authorities highlight the necessity to end the unauthorized rallies.