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Belarus: ready to intervene, Putin calls for dialogue

2020-08-27T19:46:24.971Z


The Russian president's statements have been condemned by the opposition, but also internationally.Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was ready to deploy forces to neighboring Belarus if the post-election dispute escalates there, while calling on the parties to a negotiated settlement. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, confronted for three weeks with a wave of protest on an unprecedented scale, said in mid-August that he had received a promise of "help" from Moscow t...


Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was ready to deploy forces to neighboring Belarus if the post-election dispute escalates there, while calling on the parties to a negotiated settlement.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, confronted for three weeks with a wave of protest on an unprecedented scale, said in mid-August that he had received a promise of "help" from Moscow to preserve the security of his country.

In an interview with Russian public television, Vladimir Putin explained that Russia was ready to intervene in its neighbor, if necessary, within the framework of existing security and military agreements.

"Alexander (Lukashenko) asked me to build up a certain reserve of law enforcement agents and I did so," he said, adding immediately that he hoped he would not have to resort to it. .

"Unacceptable"

“We agreed that I will not use it until the situation is out of control and extremist elements […] cross certain limits: that they set fire to cars, houses, banks, are trying to seize administrative buildings, ”he said. And to urge "all participants in this process" to "find a way out" to the crisis.

The opposition described the constitution of this reserve as "unacceptable" and "contrary to international law". The Russian president's statements were also condemned by Poland, which called on Moscow to “immediately abandon its plans for military intervention under a false pretext”. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for his part called on Moscow not to "interfere" in Belarus.

Alexander Lukashenko is facing an unprecedented challenge since coming to power in 1994. Monster demonstrations have taken place to denounce his re-election deemed fraudulent with 80% of the vote on August 9, the protesters considering that the opponent Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, a refugee in Lithuania had won.

Pressure

The authorities are keeping the pressure on, however. One of the main opposition figures, Maria Kolesnikova, was summoned by investigators on Thursday as part of the prosecution against the "coordinating council" formed to promote the political transition, of which she is a member.

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On Thursday evening, a group of around 20 Belarusian and foreign journalists were taken to the station by the police for an "identity check" as they were preparing to cover an opposition action. Several hundred doctors for their part protested in Minsk against the dismissal of the director of a heart center, due to his support for the opposition.

On Thursday morning, the ambassadors in Minsk of the European Union and its member states informed the Belarusian foreign minister that the prosecution against the opposition was "unacceptable" and called on the authorities to accept the dialogue.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2020-08-27

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