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Lukashenko promises to ‘deal with’ opponents of current government

On Saturday, Lukashenko expressed concern over expanded military presence in Lithuania and Poland and the military drills held in those countries

© Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS

MINSK, August 17. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that he would "deal with" the opponents of the current government.

"They (the opposition - TASS) have poisoned the people through social networks. And some people now think: that’s it, there is no government, the government has fallen. The government will never fall. You know me. And we will deal with them. We just need to be patient," BelTA news agency quotes Lukashenko as saying. On Monday, he met with the workers of the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant.

Read also

European Parliament does not recognize Lukashenko as elected president of Belarus

He added that foreign players might be interested in what is going on in the country. "We can hear the sound of caterpillar tracks. I see it. They have chosen the right moment. They have just provoked this situation to make us use our military to deal with domestic issues. Who can guarantee today that those forces that are coming from outside will not affect us? [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and I share the view that this activity pursues a certain goal," Lukashenko said, quoted by BelTA.

On Saturday, Lukashenko expressed concern over expanded military presence in Lithuania and Poland and the military drills held in those countries. On the outcomes of the phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko stated that Russia would help Belarus ensure the country’s security on its first request in case of a military threat from abroad.

Belarus held a presidential election on August 9. According to the final results provided by the Belarusian Central Election Commission on August 14, incumbent President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko got 80.1% of the vote. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was considered his main opponent, came in second with 10.12%.

After exit poll results were announced in the evening of August 9, protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other regions of the country, leading to clashes between protesters and the law enforcement. The protests continued over the following days. As a result, several thousand people were detained, dozens of police officers and protesters were injured.

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