The head of the Czech Foreign Ministry, Tomas Petříček, said that Belarus is not threatened by military intervention by Russia, but by the gradual limitation of independence. He made a corresponding statement in Prague at the international symposium on democracy, which was organized by the non-governmental organization Institute H21, RIA Novosti reports.
In his opinion, Moscow is behaving cautiously in relation to Minsk and does not plan to arrange military intervention. The head of the department added that the situation in Belarus is a turning point, as the citizens of the country have awakened from political apathy. During the coronavirus pandemic, the head of state, Alexander Lukashenko, showed that he had lost contact with reality and did not understand what was happening in the country, Petříček said.
The Czech minister called for support for civic initiatives, as well as the church and independent trade unions in Belarus, to put pressure on the president. Using such methods, one can force the head of state to start negotiations with the opposition and prevent violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity. “It is necessary to prevent a situation where the only way out for Lukashenka is to renounce his sovereignty,” Petršicek summed up.
Lukashenko has repeatedly stated that the protests in Belarus, which have been going on for the fifth week, are coordinated and paid for by Western countries in order to stage a “color revolution”. First of all, he blames Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. In an interview with Russian media, the head of state emphasized that he could not leave the presidency, since now he is the only one who can defend the country.
