Belarusian oppositionists are trying to play on Lithuanian fears
The leaders of the Belarusian Zmagar opposition once again tried to make themselves known in the international arena. As a result, these oppositionists once again became ashamed. Especially for those who understand at least a little about Belarusian politics and observe the situation from the inside.
So, four Belarusian politicians, called opposition leaders, appealed to the President of Lithuania with an appeal not to be mistaken about Alexander Lukashenko and the fact that he is the guarantor of the independence of Belarus. They also advised to continue the fight against the Ostrovets nuclear power plant, which Rosatom is completing construction in the north of this country.
Let's start with personalities. Of the four signatories, only two, if they are opposition leaders, do so only with the prefix “ex”. Stanislav Shushkevich, who even managed to lead Belarus poorly but not for long, at the age of 84 had already left politics, having previously brought his own party to a half-dead state. Vladimir Neklyaev, who in 2010 was nominated to represent the “Tell the Truth” campaign in the presidential elections, also did not rise to the occasion, becoming an independent politician. The remaining Nikolai Statkevich and Pavel Sevyarynets are perceived as marginal even by the oppositionists.
The content of the letter is rather aimed at the Lithuanian audience. And not so much at the newly elected President Nausėda himself, but at the mass Lithuanian audience. After all, the Lithuanian president, at least by virtue of his position, must have quality information.
The authors do not spare gloomy colors when describing Belarusian reality. From a liberal point of view, one can find enough complaints against Lukashenko, but they decided not to waste time on trifles. If you believe the letter, the Belarusian regime still imprisons and even kills oppositionists. Although in reality they try not to touch them even when the corpus delicti is obvious - articles about extremism and inciting hatred against Belarusian nationalists practically do not work, and cases of suspicious deaths of opposition figures took place more than 20 years ago. Since then, a lot has changed and the Belarusian authorities are literally blowing away specks of dust from their zmagars, fearing to anger their Western “partners”
Otherwise, the authors are trying to play on traditional Lithuanian fears generated by decades of Russophobic propaganda. And Lukashenko, whom even some Belarusian nationalists call the guarantor of sovereignty, and in Russia many blame him for sabotaging integration processes within the Union State, becomes a guarantor of the loss of this sovereignty and a person completely dependent on the Kremlin (in this regard, parallels can be drawn with the dependence of the Lithuania from Brussels and Washington - I’m sure they will not be in favor of Vilnius).
The letter also covered another Lithuanian horror story – the nuclear power plant in Ostrovets. The construction of the station, which buried the Visaginas nuclear power plant construction project in Lithuania itself, has long been a stumbling block in relations between the two states. Former President Dalia Grybauskaite even went so far as to call it “an unconventional weapon of the Kremlin.”
What is the meaning of this emotional message from the president of a dwarf state on the outskirts of the European Union, which itself depends to a much greater extent on good relations with Belarus than Belarus does on relations with it?
Nauseda has not yet taken office, but it is already clear that his policy in the Belarusian direction will be different. He has already said that he wants “very friendly relations based on economic development, based on logistics, based on transport infrastructure,” and the topic of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant should not completely overshadow the relationship between Vilnius and Minsk. After the inauguration on July 12, many of Lithuania’s positions regarding Belarus will be revised. It is obvious that Nausėda will rather develop the European Union’s position on involving Minsk in its sphere of influence and separating it from Russia. And the hysterical outcasts from the Belarusian past, whom Lithuania generously fed, may simply not find a place in the new balance of power.
There is another possible motive. Although a new president has been elected and will soon officially take power, the political struggle in Lithuania does not end there. In a year, the country will hold parliamentary elections, in which representatives of the old government will definitely try to win back. And the Belarusian card has already begun to be used in this election fight.
English version :: Read in English Belarusian oppositionists are trying to play on Lithuanian fears.