Andrei Sannikov: Lukashenka Is Very Frightened

Peacekeepers should be sent to Belarus.

Andrei Sannikov, the leader of the European Belarus Civil Campaign gave an interview to Radio Liberty and spoke about the lessons of the Syrian revolution, the future of our country in NATO and why it is necessary to send peacekeepers to Belarus. Here are excerpts from the conversation:

What is Lukashenka really afraid of, declaring at a meeting of the Security Council about the "destructive rhetoric" of European countries regarding Belarus? The opposition politician believes that the reason for the dictator's fears is the fall of the Assad regime:

— What is the "security council" of Belarus? This is “Lukashenka's security council”. After the Syrian dictator Assad was overthrown, he fears for his safety, his security, wants to preserve both the dictatorship and himself as a ruler.

Lukashenka is very frightened, that is why he makes these statements that only we pay attention to, no one else does.

The world is shocked by the footage from the prisons of the Assad regime, where they cracked down on dissidents. Andrei Sannikov compared Lukashenka's dungeons with eastern zindans:

— You know, we have seen the horrors in Belarusian prisons, and we continue to observe them. Therefore, we, European Belarus, always emphasize that it is necessary to demand the release of all political prisoners without any negotiations. To do this, there must be as much pressure on the dictatorship as possible.

It is not possible to trade on any groups or individuals. It is necessary to release all political prisoners. The West has such opportunities and a lot of experience. If this is used, I think there may be a positive result.

Lukashenka'a prisons resemble zindans — the darkest eastern prisons, which, as we know, differ from the prisons of Europe in a very cruel attitude towards opponents.

The leader of European Belarus believes that the Syrian revolution has several important features for our country:

— The most interesting thing I noticed in this whole Syrian situation, which can be interesting for Belarusians: the uprising was really started by criminals. They are recognized even by Moscow (not to mention the United States) as international terrorists. This group launched an uprising against the dictator Assad and overthrew him with the support of the people.

What does this mean for our situation? Those who participated in Lukashenka's dirty deeds can earn an indulgence from the people if they help remove the dictator.

It was interesting how it all unfolded. The people immediately supported them just after the statements that there would be no pressure on either religious denominations or women. It was necessary for the people, it was well perceived by them, so there was so much support for the rebels.

Yes, this is a real revolution that overthrew the vile regime. The horrors that we see in prisons are shocking, but, I emphasize again, this happens in the prisons of all dictators.

Andrei Sannikov expressed the opinion that it is necessary to send peacekeeping troops in Belarus during the transitional period. This will help stabilize the situation in the country:

— If the criminals in power now start an uprising, then I think that the Belarusian people will support them. There are experienced people who know what to do with weapons, those who are well aware of Lukashenka's plans, his residence, and so on. I repeat, they can deserve the forgiveness of the Belarusian people for their "activities". They have a chance.

If there is any danger from, for example, Russia, then we need to think about peacekeeping forces. The world has changed, but approaches to conflict situations have not.

The rich countries of the West do not seek to take preventive measures. Syria is an example. How many "red lines" did Barack Obama draw and do nothing? On his conscience are more than half a million Syrians who died in the war that began in 2011. He drew "red lines" after the attack using chemical weapons in Syria. If Assad had been stopped then, then perhaps Russia would not have started the aggression against Ukraine.

The Western world, which is built on democratic principles, needs to start defending these principles not only in their own countries, but also beyond their borders. Dictators like Putin and Assad support each other very well, including with weapons. Measures must be taken against this. I'm talking about peacekeeping forces.

The opposition politician said, under the auspices of which organization peacekeepers can be deployed in Belarus:

— NATO, the EU, then the UN. But the UN has already discredited itself in security matters. These are all paralyzed mechanisms. After Russia canceled all security arrangements, including the nuclear one, NATO should take the initiative, as it did in Pristina (Kosovo), when they prevented the killing of Orthodox Serbs in this Muslim region.

The EU, which is now thinking more and more about its own strength (although this has been going on for many years), can also influence this. But one should not expect consideration in broad forums such as the UN General Assembly, but it is necessary to develop measures to take preventive steps.

Recently, the foundation of the European Belarus Civil Campaign published a book "Belarus in NATO". Andrei Sannikov explained why our country should join the Alliance:

— Independent Belarus has no other way and way to ensure its independence and security, except in NATO. Forget all the “we can be neutral” way of thinking. One of the articles in the book was written by the head of the Finnish research center. Finland, which was friends with Russia, had a friendship treaty with the Russian Federation, immediately joined NATO, as did Sweden. If we look at the experience of these countries, the neutrality that is ensured by an agreement with a potential aggressor is very expensive. It will simply be impossible for Belarus to spend so much money on what can be provided in another way, namely NATO membership.

Therefore, talk about neutrality and the Baltic-Black Sea Union is in the past. Previously, it was possible to theorize, but now, when we regain our independence, we will need to engage in dialogue with NATO. I will say that our chances are much better than Ukraine's.

Andrei Sannikov urges Belarusians to stop paying attention to what Russia thinks starting today:

— We don't need to be guided by what Putin thinks. Let's live as Belarusians and as an independent state. Even if we have a difficult situation with this fool in power, this does not mean that we have to put up with it and engage in nonsense, considering "what will Putin do if..." The Kremlin and Putin will do nasty things. But the fact that Belarus will ensure security in NATO for the entire region is a fact. This is what we need to convey to our partners. Belarus in NATO will change the situation in the entire region.

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