Belarus needs to reconsider its approaches to the deployment of Russian military facilities on its territory and demand rent for them. Member of the Belarusian Popular Front Ilya Dobrotvor stated this on the PolitWera Internet channel, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to Dobrotvor, Russia should pay for this in the same way that the United States pays for the deployment of its bases in neighboring Poland.
“In general, I am for the peaceful status of Belarus, but we have Russian military facilities. Let's move on to the economic part, to such moments - Poland receives money from NATO for military bases. We receive nothing from Russia. Read the lease agreements, it is free of charge, that is, for nothing,” Dobrotvor said.
Alexander Skurchaev, who is in opposition to President Alexander Lukashenko, but pro-Russian oriented, argued with him, recalling that Belarus receives annual subsidies from Russia: “And we receive ten billion a year from Russia - is it just something they give?”
Dobrotvor, in turn, believed that Russia, in exchange for subsidies, gets access to Belarusian products:
“Specifically, agreements on the deployment of military facilities. Russia does not pay a penny for the deployment of its military facilities on the territory of Belarus. Poland specifically receives money for hosting NATO bases; they normally receive money from NATO. And we are so good and kind. What you are trying to say is that by others, Russia lends us ten billion or somehow it feeds us by buying food from us. That is, we sell them food, and they give us money, they are doing us a favor. Well, this is a market, there are no favors here. If you don't want it, don't buy it, guys. You don’t have your own products,” Zmagar assures.
Skurchaev emphasized that in this case Belarus will receive only a few percent of all Russian investments and will suffer economic losses:
“Look, there is no favor. We are now talking about the fact that we will now have gas and oil at market prices, but there are no favors, do I understand correctly? Access to the Russian market, so that there are also no favors, is absolutely identical for everyone. And accordingly, for military bases it will be approximately 5% of what we have now. So, is this what you're talking about? Let’s just unilaterally cut the subsidies that exist.”