MINSK, September 1. /TASS/. The US wants to use Afghanistan to heat up the situation in China and Russia, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told journalists Wednesday.
Lukashenko explained that the US wants to use the situation in Afghanistan "to heat up the situation in Russia through Central Asia and China, whose Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region borders this country."
"China is America’s number one enemy. So the pressure must come from Afghanistan — this place is convenient," the head of state noted.
According to the president, one should not jump to conclusions regarding the situation in Afghanistan based on TV reports.
"We must assess the situation in Afghanistan very carefully, and we must think what we can do to make the Afghans feel good. We will not fight there: neither Russia nor the Central Asian republics," he said.
Lukashenko noted that the leaders of these states also confirmed this to him.
"No-one wants a war, as people would die. And the Afghans themselves had enough war," he said. He noted that "time must pass before things settle down."
"And we must work towards calm," the head of state underscored, noting that China adheres to the same policy.
"China borders Afghanistan, and this country has a lot of natural resources. So they will invest huge money to create jobs there and to keep things calm and quiet there," he said.
He noted that Belarus has carried out a balanced policy towards Afghanistan.
"We did not outlaw the Taliban [outlawed in Russia], we did not get ourselves into that. We sought to cooperate with the government that was in charge back then. We did not harass anyone," he noted.