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Crisis in Belarus

Lavrov says it’s up to people, not Western sponsors to decide Belarus’ fate

According to Russia's top diplomat, Moscow saw time and again that in the pursuit of geopolitical gain Western colleagues easily sacrifice the stability of entire states

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Russian Foreign Ministry Press Office/TASS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

© Russian Foreign Ministry Press Office/TASS

MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. Russia is convinced that it’s up to the Belarusian people and their legitimate representatives to decide their country’s fate, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with TASS on Wednesday.

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"Foreign meddling in the domestic affairs of the former Soviet states did not begin yesterday. It’s enough to recall the February 2014 coup d’etat and the forcible seizure of power in Ukraine, which was backed by Washington and Brussels. This outgoing year saw an attempt to use a similar scenario of a color revolution in Belarus," Russia’s top diplomat said.

According to Lavrov, Moscow saw time and again that "in the pursuit of geopolitical gain Western colleagues easily sacrifice the stability of entire states, cause an ethnic discord and drive a wedge between fraternal nations." "Divide and rule" - this is a motto used by the historic West, the Russian foreign minister stressed.

"We consider that it’s up to the Belarusian people and their legitimate representatives to decide the fate of Belarus, rather than imposters and their Western sponsors," Lavrov stated.

Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission’s official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival in the race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, came in second, with 10.12% of the ballot. However, she refused to recognize the election’s outcome, and left Belarus for Lithuania. After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities. During the early post-election period, the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police. The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more protests. In response, the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.

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