MINSK, August 22. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that negotiations on the release of a number of prisoners are being conducted only with the US, but not with the fugitive opposition, the BelTA news agency reported.
"I warned the Americans right away: as soon as we find out that you are starting to play along with our fugitives and playing some kind of game here together, we will immediately stop all negotiations with you," the Belarusian leader said.
He emphasized that the fugitive opposition figures are not involved in negotiations with the US regarding the pardon of several convicts. Rather, they are simply "upset" that the president reached an agreement with the Americans.
The Belarusian leader noted that the opposition figures in question are not interested in the release of prisoners. "Our fugitives have nothing to do with this. On the contrary, they talk about it so that there are these 'political prisoners'. If there are 'political prisoners,' then there's a reason to put pressure on the ‘dictator’," he explained.
"I am saying this specifically for those of our people who are in prison today, so that they understand that they [fugitive opposition figures] are needed in prison, but not at liberty. In a penal colony, yes. This is a reason to condemn my policies and regime, as they say. That is their political face," Lukashenko added.
The president said that opposition figures "are sending some kind of lists [of prisoners] to America." "They are demanding that the State Department put pressure on us on these issues. We all know this. They are not happy that we are reaching agreements, and they are discussing among themselves: 'How can they do this without us? Where are we? Why don't they know about us? Let's get involved in this somehow’," Lukashenko added.
On June 21, John Coale, deputy to US special envoy Keith Kellogg, announced that the Belarusian authorities had released 14 prisoners, including Sergey, the husband of former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, at the request of US President Donald Trump. Belarusian presidential spokeswoman Natalia Eismont then said that, in addition to Belarusians, those pardoned included two Japanese citizens, three Polish citizens, two Latvian citizens, as well as citizens of Estonia, Sweden, and the US.