MINSK, December 10. /TASS/. The United States and other Western countries have been persuading the Eurasian Economic Union’s member-states to join pressures on Belarus over the migrant crisis, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a video conference of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on Friday.
"You should be aware that the United States and the West will not give up their policy. They need pretexts for exerting pressure on our brotherly neighbor Russia and on us as well. The refugees are the latest pretext they’ve found. It is being used for pressure on Belarus first and foremost."
Lukashenko warned that this pressure would keep growing.
"We have obtained evidence already that emissaries from the Western countries, including the United States, have already showed up at your government ministries to try to persuade you to join pressures on Belarus," Lukashenko said.
He believes that more packages of sanctions would be imposed on Belarus.
"This economic pressure is being exerted with the aim to strangle Belarus. They say outright that their aim is to replace not only the authorities, but the state system in Belarus, too," Lukashenko said, adding that his country had to resist this pressure. "First and foremost, I must thank Russia for support and all heads of state for the assistance to us they furnish whenever they can."
He warned that greater pressures would be put on the EAEU countries as well.
"They will be trying to strangle you, to set you against Belarus, to join the sanctions against my country," he said. "So I am asking you not to be distracted by these urges and to stay united, because pressures will be mounting."
Lukashenko suspects that the West will not confine itself to pressure on Belarus and Russia, but will proceed with systematically eliminating competitors.
"This situation has clearly demonstrated that we have no friends there. For this reason we can count only on ourselves. We can supply ourselves with everything we need."
The European Union on December 2 enacted a fifth package of sanctions against Minsk. There are 17 individuals and 11 organizations on this list. The US Department of the Treasury introduced sovereign debt restrictions on Belarus, applicable to securities with a maturity of greater than 90 days issued after December 2. Also, in the light of the migration crisis and in connection with allegations of a crackdown on civil freedoms in Belarus 20 individuals, 12 legal entities and three aircraft were added to the sanction list. The British and Canadian authorities have taken their own sanctions.