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DE RUEHSK #0132/01 1141512
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INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 MINSK 000132 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON PHUM BO
SUBJECT: BELARUS: HIGHLIGHTS OF LUKASHENKA'S ANNUAL ADDRESS 
 
MINSK 00000132  001.2 OF 006 
 
 
Introduction and Apology to Readers 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶1.   (SBU) The following message is based on lightly edited 
press reports of Belarusian President Lukashenka's annual 
address to the parliament and the Belarusian people.  The event 
was marked by long passages when Lukashenka departed from his 
prepared remarks and spoke rather more directly, in some cases 
contradicting himself.  With apologies for the length of this 
message, it reflects key points distilled from over two hours of 
remarks.  If post had more staff and other communication 
methods, there would be innumerable comments; we invite those 
readers with patience and extra knowledge to draw their own 
conclusions.  (Comment: One independent author here has made a 
career of compiling Lukashenka's more quotable quotes and 
publishing them.  One suspects a new volume is due soon.  End 
comment.) 
 
Relations with the EU, Eastern Partnership Summit 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2.  (U) "The improvement of relations with the European Union is 
extremely important to Belarus," Alyaksandr Lukashenka said in 
his annual address to the nation and the National Assembly April 
¶23.  "The tone of our dialogue with Brussels and other European 
capitals is undergoing quality changes," the Belarusian leader 
said. "And when I say `dialogue,' I mean it. We have never 
recognized other forms of contacts unless they are based on the 
principles of equality and mutual understanding."  "Our 
relations with Europe cannot be described as simple today," he 
went to say. "It is not we who have made them such. And not we 
alone should mend them. It is a bilateral process."  "Belarus 
shows readiness to establish pragmatic cooperation in all areas 
that are of interest to our European colleagues, but we will not 
stoop or debase ourselves," he said. "We do not make it a secret 
that the significant improvement of relations with the European 
Union is extremely important to us. The EU remains to be a major 
consumer of Belarusian exports. And Europe, for its turn, has 
new technologies and a huge intellectual potential, everything 
what is needed to assist the economic modernization of the 
country. Besides, the European Union is our neighbor with which 
we have the longest shared border." 
 
¶3.  (U) Alyaksandr Lukashenka said that he was ready not to 
travel to Prague for a May 7 summit if his presence could "cause 
inconvenience to someone."  Earlier this month, the Belarusian 
leader was formally invited to attend the summit at which the 
European Union plans to launch the Eastern Partnership program. 
Speaking about the European Union's qualms about inviting him to 
the summit, Lukashenka noted that "if someone, at least one 
person in Prague on May 7 is inconvenienced much by the fact 
that there are Belarusian representatives there, don't invite 
us.  We will not be asking to come, we will put up with it, if 
this causes inconvenience or is disadvantageous to you.  Do what 
you find convenient.  If it is convenient to you that we should 
be there, but not Lukashenka, you also tell me," he said. 
Lukashenka indirectly criticized Czech President Vaclav Klaus, 
who said last week that he would not shake hands with the 
Belarusian leader during the summit. "Do I really want you to 
shake hands with me? There should not be rudeness, it does not 
benefit relations between countries," he said.  Lukashenka noted 
that Minsk had agreed to participate in the Eastern Partnership 
program "because this is beneficial to Belarus and the 
Belarusian people." "This is not for the sake of Lukashenka. 
This is for the sake of what is beneficial to Belarus and I will 
tolerate everything despite my ambitious or whatever character. 
This is the main priority for me," he said, adding that the GOB 
"will not be bargaining on the subject." 
 
¶4.  (U) According to Lukashenka, Minsk and Brussels are yet to 
determine the format of participation in the European Union's 
Eastern Partnership that would be optimal for Belarus.  The EU's 
Eastern Partnership initiative was very timely, the Belarusian 
leader noted.  "Its implementation may make cooperation between 
Belarus and EU better defined and bring it to a qualitatively 
new level in the future," he said.  At the same time, Lukashenka 
pointed out that in the event of its participation in the 
Eastern Partnership program, Belarus would be guided by the 
principle that this participation should not be to the detriment 
of its "sovereign foreign-policy interests."  Lukashenka pointed 
out that the GOB's increased effort to improve relations with 
the European Union on a bilateral and a multilateral basis is a 
serious long-term policy, not a temporary measure. 
 
Economic Crisis 
--------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) Lukashenka asserted that Belarus became the last country 
to be affected by the global economic crisis and should become 
the first one to emerge from it.  "Belarus is ready to provide 
an adequate response to challenges of the time," he noted. 
Lukashenka spoke against job cuts amid the crisis. "The people 
 
MINSK 00000132  002.2 OF 006 
 
 
must understand: if we are going this way, one must come to work 
and work from morning till night, maybe without sleeping or 
eating for days. We must preserve the industry all together," he 
said. 
Lukashenka claimed that some people in the country viewed 
Belarus "as a social support institute" where "one can go or not 
go to work at will."  "That won't be the case. I have given 
orders to all leaders on the ground, the government to clamp 
down on such sentiments in the most severe way," he said.  The 
Belarusian leader called for more cost-saving efforts, 
describing them as "not only the essential principle of doing 
business but also the most important requirement of the 
country's national security." 
He stressed that Belarus lagged far behind the most developed 
countries in terms of energy intensity. 
 
¶6.   (U) Lukashenka reiterated his defense of the sharp 
devaluation of the Belarusian ruble at the beginning of the 
year, saying that the government had to do it following the 
devaluation of the currency of the country's trading countries. 
The devaluation was yet even sharper in Russia and other 
neighboring countries, he said.  "Those who understand what 
devaluation means and how its levels and rates in Belarus could 
be compared with those in neighboring countries that trade with 
us, they will understand that it was only half a step on the 
part of the leadership of our country," he said.  "It was an 
unpopular measure. But we seem to have survived it without 
serious consequences compared with our neighbors, which have 
devaluated their money yet sharper," he said. "The devaluation 
helps, above all, domestic producers remain afloat."  "There are 
economic laws that are not shaped by Lukashenka or the GOB," he 
went on to say. "They are objective reality, whatever we might 
wish. And if we ignore these economic laws and delay 
decision-making, it will be disastrously more painful or, 
perhaps, no longer possible tomorrow."  Lukashenka stressed that 
there was no reason to "panic."  He warned people against buying 
up goods, converting their Belarusian-ruble wages to foreign 
cash or withdrawing bank deposits.  "I was speaking about this 
at the beginning of the year," he said. "Those who have not paid 
heed to my warning say today that they regret that they have not 
done it." 
 
¶7.  (U) Lukashenka said that there will be no economic collapse 
in Belarus.  The Belarusian leader stressed that the government 
would stick to its policy of creating a "socially orientated 
market economy" and "building a social, prosperous state."  He 
warned that all economic development targets "from gross 
domestic product to the level of pay to the number of square 
meters of completed housing" would not be revised despite the 
global economic crisis.  "Failure to keep the pace, unbalancing 
the foothold that we have gained will be a crime against 
ourselves and our children," he noted.  Lukashenka warned 
enterprises against relying on state assistance too much and 
said that aid would be offered only to the companies that work 
hard to boost their domestic and foreign sales.  He expressed 
certainty that the GOB would cope with the impact of the global 
crisis. "We have time-tested tools of the government's efficient 
work," he stressed.  The downturn will be followed by a new 
period of economic growth sooner or later and those countries 
that were quick to adjust to the new conditions will come out on 
top, Lukashenka said. "Belarus should be among them," he added. 
 
¶8.  (U) Lukashenka warned against "mass dismissals," saying that 
no circumstance would excuse that practice.  Giving people jobs 
remains a priority; "Perhaps, the measure could even harm the 
current economic efficiency to some extent, but the measure is 
well-grounded, he said.  The personnel potential that is the 
most important resource for the country will be preserved," he 
said.  At the same time, Lukashenka stressed that his warning 
did not mean that he wanted companies to be turned into "social 
shelters where absolutely everybody could be allowed out of pity 
to stay ."  "The state owes able-bodied person only one thing -- 
the creation of conditions that could enable them to show a 
worthwhile initiative and earn money, but the state is not 
obliged to give pay for nothing," he said.  As for vulnerable 
groups, Lukashenka said that government would continue to 
support them, increasing their income and providing "targeted 
assistance" to everyone in need of it.  Every measure will be 
taken to prevent a fall in pension payments, he pledged.  The 
support will continue to focus on efforts to boost birth rates, 
protect children from negligent parents and prevent domestic 
violence, Lukashenka said. 
 
¶9.  (U) Loans given by Russia, Venezuela and the International 
Monetary Fund have been of key importance for the strengthening 
of Belarus' economic security, he said. "They are a kind of an 
assurance factor against unforeseen circumstances," he said. 
"Many people, especially in the West, regarded the very fact of 
our cooperation with the International Monetary Fund as a 
positive thing that confirms Belarus' reliability and the 
adequacy of economic policy pursued in the country to external 
and internal conditions," he said.  Lukashenka emphasized the 
 
MINSK 00000132  003.2 OF 006 
 
 
need to efficiently use the borrowed funds to ensure that they 
are "not eaten away." He said that they should be spent on 
modernization projects in the manufacturing industry and the 
establishment of joint companies. 
 
¶10.  (U) Lukashenka called for "big-name brands" to be produced 
in Belarus.  He said that they should be produced in the country 
"by Belarusians and for the Belarusians."  "It should be done 
not only for domestic consumption but also for supplies abroad," 
the Belarusian leader said. "We know how it has been done in 
China and we should use the experience."  Lukashenka said that 
foreign investors could expect tax exemptions to apply to them 
for a minimum period of three years.  "One should not expect 
investors to come en masse here," he said.  "We should meet 
specific investors and talk to them, offer attractive conditions 
and guarantee, on behalf of the president, the most favorable 
treatment."  "Flows of foreign investment are extremely 
helpful," he said. "They mean employment, budget revenues, the 
development of import substitution programs and the development 
of the competitive environment," he said. 
 
¶11.  (U) Lukashenka also called for the export of Belarusian 
products to new markets to be a priority.  The Council of 
Ministers should become "one [large] trade ministry," the 
Belarusian leader said.  "Priority number one for all 
enterprises in the country is to sell their goods.  They should 
offer really competitive products at moderate prices."  "It's 
necessary to employ all available mechanisms of exporting 
goods," Lukashenka said.  "They [the mechanisms] include export 
lending, international leasing and insurance. We should make the 
most of the distribution networks and establish service 
centers."  The "penetrating power" of Belarusian exports in the 
European Union's markets should also be increased, Lukashenka 
said.  He suggested that Belarus should step up cooperation with 
its key partners such as China, Iran, India and the United Arab 
Emirates, cooperate more actively with Egypt, Syria, Algeria and 
South Africa, and "work more seriously" with Japan and Persian 
Gulf countries.  "Our exporters should learn new ways of working 
with existing and potential customers," Lukashenka said. "I 
would say that they should be aggressive, like Western 
manufacturers."   To minimize the impact of the current economic 
crisis, it is also necessary to adjust prices in a skillful and 
timely fashion, Lukashenka said.  "It is a crime to operate at a 
loss because there would be no money tomorrow to manufacture new 
goods," he noted.  The same applies to stockpiling finished 
products, he added. 
 
Foreign Policy 
-------------- 
 
¶12.  (U) Lukashenka said that Belarus should act as a bridge 
connecting the East and the West.  An active and balanced 
foreign policy that vigorously defends and advances national 
interests is becoming especially important, Lukashenka said. 
"We've never listened and never will listen to those who keep 
telling us that the dilemma of choosing between the East and 
Russia on the one hand and the West and Europe on the other is 
inevitable" Mr. Lukashenka said. "Our goal is to be a bridge 
that connects the East and the West."  It is beneficial to avoid 
zigzags in foreign policy, especially amid the current economic 
crisis, Lukashenka said.  "While preserving its strategic 
partnership with the Russian Federation, Belarus is smoothing 
its relations with the European Union," he noted. "Our work in 
other regions of the planet is becoming even more fruitful. 
This means that the main principle of Belarus' foreign policy, 
its multi-vector nature, is becoming a reality."  In recent 
years, Belarus has established itself as a "respectable, 
consistent and predictable partner," breaking the "negative 
stereotypes" that have existed in some countries until very 
recently, Lukashenka said.  A vast majority of UN member states 
have come out in support of Belarus' proposals to prohibit the 
manufacture of new types of weapons of mass destruction and 
create a mechanism under the aegis of the United Nations that 
would make modern energy technologies available to all states, 
Lukashenka noted.  The measures proposed by Belarus to combat 
trafficking in human beings have also been met with general 
approval, he added. 
 
¶13.  (U) Lukashenka asserted that there is an understanding that 
the invitation of Belarus into partnership with Europe should 
not be to the detriment of Russia and other countries on good 
terms with Minsk.  "We go where we're welcome," the Belarusian 
leader said. "How can we ignore Europe if the EU accounts for 
almost half of our trade?  Nor can we abandon Russia, which is 
historically our country [sic]."  Lukashenka denied that "a new 
team" was influencing his foreign-policy decisions.  "I'm still 
able to shape domestic and foreign policies," he said.  "I'm 
still able to deliver on what I've said for many years about our 
multi-vector foreign policy."  There is no denying that "there 
was a certain lean towards the East, Russia, China and India at 
the beginning," Lukashenka said. "That was justified and we had 
no other choice after the collapse of the Soviet Union. We said 
 
MINSK 00000132  004.2 OF 006 
 
 
for a long time that you should be friendly to your neighbors, 
but we were not heard.  We've finally been heard and the West 
has understood that the policy of stifling, crushing and 
isolating has failed."  If the West had a proper attitude toward 
Belarus, it would understand the country better and the 
Belarusians would be even wealthier and more understandable to 
the West, Lukashenka said.  "New politicians who have come to 
power in the West have realized that this is not the way to 
treat Belarus," he added. 
 
¶14.  (U) Lukashenka praised the current foreign diplomatic corps 
in Minsk.  "Most of the current diplomatic corps have a very 
deep understanding of the problems that we are solving," the 
Belarusian leader said. "It is above all thanks to them that 
some positive trends have taken shape in our relations with the 
West."  According to Lukashenka, he plans to resume his 
one-on-one meetings with foreign diplomats and the first 
ambassador he is going to meet is Aleksandr Surikov of Russia. 
"I said to Aleksandr Aleksandrovich: `Be ready. We'll have 
meetings and openly discuss issues that exist, even uneasy ones, 
in a face-to-face setting.'"  "We'll start this intercourse with 
the ambassador of the Russian Federation very soon," Lukashenka 
added. 
 
¶15.  (U) Lukashenka called for the normalization of Belarus-U.S. 
relations.  "I have repeatedly noted the importance of relations 
with the United States of America," the Belarusian leader said 
in his two-hour speech.  "Our countries possess experience of 
economic, investment, and humanitarian cooperation. I hope the 
new U.S. administration realizes that it is hopeless to talk to 
Belarus from a position of strength and to use the language of 
sanctions."  "We have always expressed our interest in the 
normalization of political relations with the USA and consider 
it mutually beneficial to reach the full restoration of the 
level of trade and economic cooperation that had been close to 
one billion dollars before the sanctions were imposed," 
Lukashenka said. 
 
¶16.  (U) Lukashenka stated that his forthcoming meeting with the 
Pope serves as recognition by the Vatican of the GOB's religious 
policy.  The head of state pointed out that he had once promised 
to make Belarus an "exemplary country" regarding the living 
conditions of people of different faiths.  "We declared that and 
we have done that," the Belarusian leader said. According to 
him, there were many problems in the relationship between the 
Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church in 
Belarus, and between the state and churches, above all the Roman 
Catholic Church, but all the problems have now been solved. 
"Perhaps, my visit to the pontiff comes from the fact that the 
top hierarchy of the Catholic Church extremely highly 
appreciates the policy that we follow, including our policy with 
regard to the Catholics," Lukashenka said.  According to him, 
the top clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church also "extremely 
highly appreciates" the GOB's religious policy.  The Belarusian 
leader is expected to meet with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican 
April 27. 
 
¶17.  (U) Belarus can make Iskander SS-26 tactical missile 
systems on its own and buy missiles if necessary, Alyaksandr 
Lukashenka said.  "When our relations with the West were 
strained, all government officials in Russia called for 
normalizing these relations," Lukashenka said.  "And now this 
normalization is on the horizon...however, some media outlets, 
whose readers probably include Russian leaders, spread another 
canard yesterday.  They question whether weapons such as the 
Iskander system should be supplied to Belarus if Lukashenka has 
changed or almost changed the vector of his foreign policy, and 
who will these Iskanders belong to if the opposition comes to 
power."  "We've never asked the Russians for their Iskanders," 
Lukashenka said. "We'll buy them like all other countries in the 
world. But let me say openly that we don't actually have to 
because we can make them ourselves if necessary, except the 
missiles, and we'll buy the missiles."  The current 
normalization of Belarus' relations with Europe is not to the 
detriment of Russia, and the Russians should feel happy about 
successes of the brotherly nation, Mr. Lukashenka stressed. He 
expressed gratitude to Ukraine, Baltic countries, Poland and the 
Czech Republic for "support in Europe."  Some voices in Europe 
threaten to punish Belarus if it recognizes South Ossetia and 
Abkhazia as independent countries, Lukashenka said. "But why 
don't you punish Russia, which has already recognized them?" he 
said. "Are you applying double standards again?"  "Belarus will 
fulfill everything that it has repeatedly declared, and Russia 
has nothing to do with this," Lukashenka said. He called on "the 
East and the West to calm down" and let Belarus pursue a policy 
that will be in everyone's interests and do no harm to anyone. 
 
Domestic Issues, Human Rights 
----------------------------- 
 
¶18.  (U) Lukashenka warned of a harsh crackdown on corruption, 
which he said undermines the government's authority.  He 
 
MINSK 00000132  005.2 OF 006 
 
 
promised that the government would fight corruption "as long as 
this evil exists in our country."  "We will not allow officials 
at the center and on the ground to undermine the government's 
authority by their actions and dubious behavior," he warned. 
There are many "instances of office abuse by all sorts of bad 
officials and apologies for managers," Lukashenka said.  "Their 
enterprises are head and ears in debt and they still buy cars, 
do expensive office renovations and host lavish banquets," he 
noted.  The Belarusian leader called for better efforts to cut 
excessive red tape and more attention to formal complaints and 
appeals from the public.  "A careless attitude, indifference, 
rudeness in work with people can bring any of our achievements 
to naught.  It is an unacceptable situation where the reception 
room of some organization turns into an unassailable front 
entrance that an ordinary person cannot even come close to," he 
stressed. 
 
¶19.  (U) Lukashenka claimed the government would take no more 
steps to liberalize the political environment in Belarus. "We 
have more than enough political liberalization, no matter how 
much I'm criticized for dictatorial methods," the Belarusian 
leader said.  "Some charlatans, renegades and thugs have 
interpreted liberalization as follows: Do what you please, walk 
around streets if you please and overturn cars if you please," 
he said.  "Some media outlets thought that liberalization meant 
a return to what we began with in the mid-1990s: just yellow 
journalism and nothing else.  Even some diplomats and other 
people who come to us say, `You have announced liberalization, 
haven't you?'  But liberalization should not lead to chaos and 
the destabilization of the economy."  Lukashenka stressed that 
opposition politicians would have no chance if they came out 
against a "normal" life for people in Belarus.  "How will the 
opposition look if we publish the letter that they have recently 
sent to Prague, in which they suggest blocking Belarus from the 
Eastern Partnership, keeping Lukashenka out of there, and so 
on?" he said.  Lukashenka noted that not all opposition leaders 
had signed the letter. "One politician, [Alyaksandr] 
Milinkevich, did not sign that letter," Lukashenka noted. "He 
said, `How can I sign it if that would ruin the country?  What 
would we do then?  There would be no more need for the 
opposition then.'"   "The so-called pro-democratic forces are 
beginning to play against the state and society" and hope to 
destroy the foundations of the Belarusian state, exploiting 
economic hardships caused by the global crisis, Lukashenka said. 
 "How can one like those who tirelessly call for bringing down 
every kind of trouble on the heads of the Belarusians, demanding 
economic sanctions or isolation from the West?...I personally 
have no good words for them."  According to Lukashenka, some 
opposition groups hope to quietly create conditions for changing 
the existing political system in Belarus through the nation's 
involvement in European processes.  "Some say openly [they need 
it] for overthrowing Lukashenka," he noted.   "I won't rely on 
the teachings of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, [although] I respect 
very much that man and I once studied him very well, but we all 
remember and know his saying, `Any government is only worth 
something if it can defend itself and can defend its people.' 
No one has managed to disprove this holy rule."  That is why "a 
creeping counter-revolution won't be allowed in our country," 
Lukashenka said. "You must remember how various sorts of `color 
revolutions' got hit in the mug here.  They couldn't even make a 
peep.  Not because we are dictators or savages, but because we 
pursue a policy in the interests of our people.  And if anyone 
hopes to turn upside-down and overthrow something here by hook 
or by crook, this won't be a success.  It isn't even worth 
trying." 
 
¶20.  (U) Lukashenka called on the National Assembly to be in 
"vanguard" of systemic change in Belarus.  The newly elected 
legislature "got off to a good start and has showed a 
businesslike and constructive attitude from the first days of 
its work...I'm very pleased with the work of the parliament and 
glad that our people cast their ballots the way they did.  I'm 
sure that the current parliament will not only be socially 
active but also capable of efficiently working as one team with 
the other branches of power."  According to Lukashenka, he 
expects the National Assembly to show initiative.  "You will 
have not only to build on your predecessors' achievements but 
also to bring lawmaking to a new level and pass new-generation 
laws," the Belarusian leader said.  "Gone are the days when 
legislators could merely discuss the bills they received," 
Lukashenka said.  "In the current situation, they should find 
solutions to existing problems on their own."  Legislative work 
is incompatible with "politicking, lobbying to promote selfish 
interests and parochialism," Lukashenka said.  Both 
parliamentary chambers should work in close cooperation with the 
local authorities, he stressed.  "Legislative work should not be 
abstracted from reality and people's problems and expectations," 
Lukashenka said. "What the country needs is stimulating and 
constructive legislation that works in daily life and not 
declarative laws."  There should be enough financial, technical 
and human resources to enforce new laws, Lukashenka said. 
 
 
MINSK 00000132  006.2 OF 006 
 
 
¶21.  (U) Lukashenka: Government and businesspeople should be one 
team.  "The dynamic development of the country is only possible 
today through a reasonable combination of efforts from small, 
medium-sized and large businesses on the one hand and the state 
on the other," the Belarusian leader said.  Although the 
government owns tens of thousands of properties that are either 
unfinished of have long been unused, Belarusian companies have 
difficulty finding room for their production facilities, he 
said. According to him, no noticeable progress has been made 
despite measures to solve this problem.  The procedure of 
alienation remains long and complex, he said.  It takes months 
for local officials to consider investors' applications, 
Lukashenka noted.  "Why are we clinging to what we don't need?" 
he said.  "The snag is that ministers and heads of executive 
committees are slow." 
 
¶22.  (U) Lukashenka called for the development of rural tourism, 
which he noted does not entail high costs.  It is worth 
developing the industry "immediately...one should not be engaged 
solely in ambitious projects such as the all-round renovation of 
the Auhustouski Channel, although it should be done as well," he 
said.  It is necessary to exploit Belarus' "nature wealth." he 
stressed. "The natural beauty in the center of Europe such as 
the Narach, Sozh, Dnyeper, Braslau Lakes, Belovezhskaya and 
Nalibokskaya Pushchas cannot but attract tourists."  Lukashenka 
noted a small number of hotels, camping sites and road services 
in Belarus.  "People in Belarus do not take the trouble to earn 
money.  Sometimes, they do not even want to pick it up from the 
ground."  He said that private entrepreneurship should be given 
a green light, once there was a lack of budgetary funds.  "And 
no special directives from Minsk are needed," he said.  "The 
regional and district authorities are able to do everything on 
their own and they should do it."  He emphasized the need to 
improve the "organizational and legal environment" for transit 
shipments, suggesting improving transport infrastructure and 
developing competitive logistics centers.  In addition, he said, 
border and customs officials should be "taught to treat people 
crossing our border as the dearest guests." 
MOORE