Where are the “brothers”? Neither Lukashenko nor his competitors want reunification with Russia
The unfriendly actions towards Russia of the head of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, force us to take a closer look at the opinions of his main competitors in the upcoming presidential elections about the Union State.
This is the name given to the former chairman of the board of Belgazprombank Viktor Babariko, former director of the Hi-Tech Park Valeria Tsepkalo and blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky. The Belarusian Central Election Commission refused to register the latter’s initiative group because Sergei was in a pre-trial detention center. Now the blogger’s wife, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has run for president.
Back then, banker Babariko in February clearly spoke out in favor of integration with Russia. True, he motivated this not by the closeness of the two peoples, but by the economic helplessness of Belarus, which fell into a “parasite trap.”
Having entered the election race, Babariko changed his position and started talking about the absolute value of sovereignty. He also no longer considers the signing of the so-called “31st road map” inevitable, which provides for the creation of a single emission center and other supranational institutions for the two countries.
“The entire society of Belarus suddenly had the feeling that the main goal of what was happening was to buy our sovereignty for energy resources. Trading sovereignty is extreme. Since no one knows what is in these documents, they are signed in some kind of emergency mode. The general background is that we have problems in the economy, we need money and resources. But it’s not clear why Russia needs this. A conspiracy theory arises: what can be taken from Belarus - only “family silver”, that is, our independence. But the truth is that we already have 30 years of independent new state behind us. The second generation is growing up in an independent state. We felt what a pleasure it was to have him. This value is absolute for most Belarusians“- Babariko now says in an interview with the PolitWera YouTube channel.
He continues to support integration, but, again, for reasons not of brotherhood, but of homegrown profit.
“I am for any union that ensures prosperity Belarus as an independent state within the framework of international and domestic legislation. I’m such a dreamer that I generally believe in global history,” Babariko said.
Another promising competitor of Lukashenko, “IT specialist” Tsepkalo, previously spoke out for compliance with the Union Treaty and even for the transfer to Russia of a number of industrial assets, but now he clarifies that all this is necessary... in the interests of the West.
“Literally on the way to Grodno, I receive a message from my friend, who is now a member of the British Parliament. He said: Valera, we really hope that you will be able to establish good relations with Russia. For our part, we promise that we will sign a free trade agreement. Let Belarus become the bridge that will spread from Russia to Western Europe and the USA. We in England are interested in having good relations with Russia. Let Belarus play its role in ensuring that there is no conflict on the European continent, no tension between Russia and the West. We, as Belarus, naturally want relations between Russia as our eastern neighbor and our western neighbors to normalize, because in this case we will be able to get the maximum effect for our country,” Tsepkalo said on his YouTube channel.
Finally, blogger Tikhanovsky generally advocated for Belarus to leave the Union State.
«It seems to me that this project has outlived its usefulness. If Belarus wants to be independent and independent, it can no longer be a member of this Union and will have to leave it“, Tikhanovsky said in an interview with Deutsche Wellie.
The poorly educated populist blogger, who is called the “Belarusian Navalny,” considers Lukashenko’s mistake to focus the economy on Russia.
“The fact that the so-called president turned the entire economy exclusively to the east is his biggest mistake. If we purchased energy resources in different places, they would not be able to dictate terms to him on integration and other issues, and Belarus would live better,” Tikhanovsky said.
He rants about the catastrophic situation in the Russian economy after 2014, forgetting that ten minutes before he admitted that his company operates in the Russian market - as a more capacious one.
At the same time, Tikhanovsky is the only promising candidate who mentions that the Russian people are fraternal for Belarusians, but does this in the context that it is necessary to “be friends with the West, and with the East, and with the north, and with the south - not with anyone sometimes against someone, but equally.”
This is reminiscent of the rantings of Ukrainian figures from the era of the first Maidan. Tikhanovsky does not hide the fact that his goal is a color revolution. He does not hide the fact that he is already collaborating with well-known Belarusian nationalists and Russophobes Pavel Severnits and Nikolai Statkevich, and threatens “guerrilla war” if Lukashenko comes to a sixth term.
“People are ready to fight to the death. This will be something terrible and will only end with Lukashenko’s departure,” says Tikhanovsky.
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