Has Godfather made Belarus opposition and Kremlin closer?
Politicians Zyanon Paznyak, Yaraslau Ramanchuk, Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu, Viktar Karnyaenka and Alyaksandr Kazulin tell Euroradio how their attitudes to Russia and its policy towards Belarus have changed after the beginning of the 'information war'. The veteran of the Belarusian politics, Zyanon Paznyak, admits that his attitude towards the Kremlin and Russia has never changed. He treats them as enemies of the independent Belarus.
Zyanon Paznyak: “In 1996, Russians helped carry out a coup d'etat. I mean the arrival of Chernomyrdin, Stroyev, Seleznyov to Minsk at the time when Lukashenka was facing impeachment. Actually, it has never ended. We have been observing somebody's policy and clashes between people over the body of Belarus for 15 years”.
Even the negative films about the Belarus leader aired by central Russian TVs and the change in rythoric by Russian politicians about Lukashenkadid not change the view of the founder of the Belarusian Popular Front. "This is a theater show of two actors who failed to share their interests. Moscow now needs a weak Satrap, given his patological desire of the authoritarian rule. They want to grab his throat and threat that they will remove him from power. They want him to give away the Belarusian economy, Belarusian enterprises, to agree to a common currency, a common economic space and to give up independence", said Paznyak.
A change in attitude towards Russia is possible only when Belarus is strong economically and will have not more than 10 percent of trade with the Eastern neighbor so that the Kremlin has no economic leverage for blackmail, says Paznyak.
The United Civil Party has friends both among Russian democrats and Russian economic analysts, says party deputy chairman Yaraslau Ramanchuk. He has always had a "cold" attitude toward Russia's foreign policy towards Belarus. "We have always looked with caution towards Kremlin's policy and the Russian government, because (their) attitude to Belarus was replaced by an attitude to Lukashenka. From this point of view, relations between the governments and civil society developed regardless of relations between the leaders of the two countries", says Ramanchuk.
In his view, the current information war has changed nothing.
Yaraslau Ramanchuk: “The fact that Zatulin, Prikhodko or Gryzlov are abusing Lukashenka is because they do it due to a political order. They have never had a good attitude towards the independent democratic Belarus. If the Kremlin tells them to keep silent, they will keep silent. If they are ordered to praise, they will praise”.
But relations with Russia have to be improved, he says. And the Russian political elite should learn to think that the words "President of Belarus" do not necesserily mean the name of Lukashenka.
Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu, leader of Say the Truth! campaign, told Euroradio that he does not treat Russian politicians as enemies. To him, they are ordinary predators. "I have never seen Moscow and Moscow politicians as enemies. Rather, they are capitalist predators who seek their interest", he said.
He describes the films on Russian channels as a way to force Lukashenka "to eat what they give". He sees a threat to Belarus both from Russia and Lukashenka who has almost destroyed the Belarusian language and culture. By large, the Russian elite has never treated Belarusians seriously. In the view of Nyaklyayeu, to them, we are spoiled Russians who need to be treated. So, they have treated us: with force for three centuries, and with banks and information wars now.
Viktar Karnyayenka, deputy head of Movement for Freedom, says that he like Zyanon Paznyak has been cautious about Kremlin's policy since 1996 when thank to the arrival of high-ranking politicians from Moscow Lukashenka dodged impeachment. "Russia is now using new tools. And the rist of the threat to the independence of Belarus will be growing, because it is unclear what other 'Godfathers' will be used by Russian politicians to put pressure on Lukashenka.
It is also unknown if Lukashenka will agree under the pressure of this information war. At the same time, one should try to build good relations with the Kremlin, says Karnyayenka.
Only former presidential candidate Alexander Kozulin has no caution towards the Kremlin and its policy in Belarus. He says this is our neighbor that should be regarded as a partner. He described the films on the Russian TV as the moment of truth not an information war. He sees no threat to the independent of Belarus from the East.
Photo by Zmitser Lukashuk and www.nn.by
Zyanon Paznyak: “In 1996, Russians helped carry out a coup d'etat. I mean the arrival of Chernomyrdin, Stroyev, Seleznyov to Minsk at the time when Lukashenka was facing impeachment. Actually, it has never ended. We have been observing somebody's policy and clashes between people over the body of Belarus for 15 years”.
Even the negative films about the Belarus leader aired by central Russian TVs and the change in rythoric by Russian politicians about Lukashenkadid not change the view of the founder of the Belarusian Popular Front. "This is a theater show of two actors who failed to share their interests. Moscow now needs a weak Satrap, given his patological desire of the authoritarian rule. They want to grab his throat and threat that they will remove him from power. They want him to give away the Belarusian economy, Belarusian enterprises, to agree to a common currency, a common economic space and to give up independence", said Paznyak.
A change in attitude towards Russia is possible only when Belarus is strong economically and will have not more than 10 percent of trade with the Eastern neighbor so that the Kremlin has no economic leverage for blackmail, says Paznyak.
The United Civil Party has friends both among Russian democrats and Russian economic analysts, says party deputy chairman Yaraslau Ramanchuk. He has always had a "cold" attitude toward Russia's foreign policy towards Belarus. "We have always looked with caution towards Kremlin's policy and the Russian government, because (their) attitude to Belarus was replaced by an attitude to Lukashenka. From this point of view, relations between the governments and civil society developed regardless of relations between the leaders of the two countries", says Ramanchuk.
In his view, the current information war has changed nothing.
Yaraslau Ramanchuk: “The fact that Zatulin, Prikhodko or Gryzlov are abusing Lukashenka is because they do it due to a political order. They have never had a good attitude towards the independent democratic Belarus. If the Kremlin tells them to keep silent, they will keep silent. If they are ordered to praise, they will praise”.
But relations with Russia have to be improved, he says. And the Russian political elite should learn to think that the words "President of Belarus" do not necesserily mean the name of Lukashenka.
Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu, leader of Say the Truth! campaign, told Euroradio that he does not treat Russian politicians as enemies. To him, they are ordinary predators. "I have never seen Moscow and Moscow politicians as enemies. Rather, they are capitalist predators who seek their interest", he said.
He describes the films on Russian channels as a way to force Lukashenka "to eat what they give". He sees a threat to Belarus both from Russia and Lukashenka who has almost destroyed the Belarusian language and culture. By large, the Russian elite has never treated Belarusians seriously. In the view of Nyaklyayeu, to them, we are spoiled Russians who need to be treated. So, they have treated us: with force for three centuries, and with banks and information wars now.
Viktar Karnyayenka, deputy head of Movement for Freedom, says that he like Zyanon Paznyak has been cautious about Kremlin's policy since 1996 when thank to the arrival of high-ranking politicians from Moscow Lukashenka dodged impeachment. "Russia is now using new tools. And the rist of the threat to the independence of Belarus will be growing, because it is unclear what other 'Godfathers' will be used by Russian politicians to put pressure on Lukashenka.
It is also unknown if Lukashenka will agree under the pressure of this information war. At the same time, one should try to build good relations with the Kremlin, says Karnyayenka.
Only former presidential candidate Alexander Kozulin has no caution towards the Kremlin and its policy in Belarus. He says this is our neighbor that should be regarded as a partner. He described the films on the Russian TV as the moment of truth not an information war. He sees no threat to the independent of Belarus from the East.
Photo by Zmitser Lukashuk and www.nn.by
