MINSK, July 2. /TASS/. Belarus’ neighboring countries in the west stare longingly at the border regions of Belarus and Ukraine, and they are not shy to speak openly about their potential annexation, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday at a gala meeting on the eve of his country’s Independence Day.

"We have to face the truth: not only is the new Nazism rearing its head, but also it has risen in full force. We can trace this in the geopolitical appetites of our Western neighbors who are greedily gazing at Belarusian and Ukrainian border territories. And they are not even ashamed of speaking openly about possible annexation," said Lukashenko, as quoted by the BelTA news agency.