Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on Thursday (November 26th) and criticized
Western “
interference
” in the country, where an unprecedented mobilization of the opposition has continued since August.
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"
We have seen numerous acts of gross interference by the United States and (...) certain European capitals in the internal affairs
" of Belarus, Lavrov said during a press conference after a meeting with his counterpart. Belarusian, Vladimir Makeï.
"
The wise Belarusian people are able to understand themselves (what to do), without being blown from the outside or making insistent proposals on mediation that they have not requested
", a he added.
Mr. Lavrov notably denounced Western attempts to "
manipulate public opinion, support openly anti-government forces and contribute to their radicalization
" in Belarus.
Sergey Lavrov had previously met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday.
Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, was declared the winner of the August 9 presidential election with more than 80% of the vote, sparking huge protests in the country.
Several gathered more than 100,000 people in Minsk, without succeeding in bending the regime.
Since the start of the protest, thousands of people have been arrested, at least four have died and dozens of others have denounced torture and violence suffered during their detention.
The leading figure of the opposition, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, was forced into exile in Lithuania.
If the mobilization was down in recent weeks, tens of thousands of Belarusians demonstrated again Sunday against the regime in various neighborhoods of Minsk, and hundreds were arrested.
Read also: Violence in Belarus: the EU is considering economic sanctions
“
Of course, we are concerned about the current situation in Belarus,
” Lavrov said.
"
We hope that it will definitely return to normal soon, including thanks to the initiative of the Belarusian president on constitutional reform and modernization of the political system
," he added.
Supported by Moscow, Mr. Lukashenko, 66, refuses to resign and only mentioned a vague constitutional reform to try to calm the protest, without revealing the details.
