On 18 February, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko gave an interview to the Russia Today TV channel and the RIA Novosti news agency.

Russia Today is the first 24/7 English-language news channel which provides viewers with breaking news, coverage of political, business, and public affairs in Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The channel was established in April 2005 by the Autonomous Nonprofit Organization TV-Novosti. Its founder is Russia’s biggest news agency RIA-Novosti.

RIA Novosti news agency is one of the most prestigious and professional sources of information in Russia and abroad. The agency has a big network of correspondent offices in the Russian Federation, CIS and more than 40 countries worldwide.

The questions addressed to the head of state were related to the forthcoming CIS summit in Moscow, development of relations between Belarus and the European Union, Belarus’ interests in Venezuela, interaction of Belarus and Russia, personal relations of Alexander Lukashenko with Vladimir Putin and other political leaders, possible model of the Union State.

The reporters were interested Alexander Lukashenko’s view of the recent developments in Kosovo, consequences of the energy price hike for the Belarusian economy, his vision of Belarus’ near-term future.

Commenting, on the request of the reporters, upon Kosovo’s self-declaration of independence, the President said that Belarus supports the viewpoint of Russian diplomats.

“I can say today to those who were sorry and who were against the bombing of Yugoslavia: isn’t it too late that we have started to attend to this problem? It was then when we should not have allowed the carve-up of the Balkans and it was then when we needed to defend Yugoslavia. We and Russia had everything for that. Today it is late “to sing the songs”. The process started long ago; it is in progress. Montenegro broke away, other republics broke away. It was only Kosovo that remained. This is the continuation of that split. We lost our influence there long ago. We should not have allowed this then – today we would not have the independence issue. Can we influence this process? No, we can’t and let’s be frank about this,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

“Yet, problems should not be settled like this. In this issue Europe (I am not talking about the Americans), even in our European home, behaves inappropriately. Double standards are everywhere. They reproach us, mainly Russia, for the wrong position on Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria.

And is it right what they are doing? This is why all these arguments we and Russia have put forward are absolutely fair,” he said.
“But I’m stressing this once again: it is too late; the process started long ago; it is nearing the end. It was then when we needed to defend Yugoslavia. I knew that situation very well – it would not have taken Russia great effort to resist that aggression against the brotherly nation,” the President said.

“I see my country as a stable state where 13 million people not 10 million will be living in ten years. But we need the population of 25-30 million on this land, and it will be then that we will be fully independent and sovereign. I would like to see more people live here. I would like Belarus to become a rich country, be a country with a young face, with more young people,” Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview to Russia Today TV channel and RIA Novosti news agency, BelTA was told in the presidential press service.

“What future does the president-patriot loving his country want for his country? The same as you want for your family. This is my family and I want that everything be well in our country. I want us to create no problems for our neighbours – neither for Russia, Poland Baltics or Ukraine. I want the country to remain as it is; that it is proud, self-sufficient and independent,” the head of state said.