The West has absolutely no idea of the processes going on in Belarus, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, BelTA learnt from the presidential press service.
"The West demanded that we should release Kozulin plus some businessmen (I do not know why) who violated the tax laws. In America people who committed such crimes would serve long sentences. They were convicted rightly. No one has the right to explode bombs on quiet streets of Minsk; no one has the right to break tax laws. Many crimes like this are committed both in America and here. But for some reason the West perceived these cases as politically charged. Ok, you thought that politics was involved here so if the President released them (the so-called political prisoners), they would bring drastic changes to the country. We released them long before the parliamentary elections. Tell me, what they changed in the country? It proves that the West does not understand what is going on in Belarus and overestimates the role and significance of some politicians. The West found that not only these people, but all the so-called opposition members that ask the Americans and Europeans to give them money to exist, cannot achieve anything," Alexander Lukashenko said.
The Belarusian Head of State said, "If closer relations with the West depended on the release of Kozulin, we did not see it as a problem. We released him and gained great political benefits from it. And the West found again that both he and his milieu are completely worthless. They are a spent force now. We have achieved a positive effect. The West perceived it as a step toward democracy.
The President asked a reasonable question: what political prisoners they are talking about if these people were charged with criminal cases. "We do not conceal that they were convicted and there are materials, including videomaterials about it. There is no avoiding it. Europe and America perceived this as the right step. We appreciate it," Alexander Lukashenko said.