MINSK: Belarus'sstrongman leader Alexander Lukashenko said yesterday he was looking to open a"new chapter" in ties with Washington as he welcomed the White Housenational security advisor for rare talks in Minsk. Lukashenko met with JohnBolton as the aide to President Donald Trump continued his tour of ex-Sovietcountries that was sure to ruffle feathers in Moscow. The Belarusian president, a crucial ally ofRussia's Vladimir Putin, said he hoped the visit would mark a turning pointafter years of distrust.
"Since thestart of the deterioration of our relations with the United States, we haveconstantly proposed turning this bad page and opening a new chapter in ourrelations," Lukashenko said. He said Bolton's visit would help"create the foundation for future relations" and that he hoped for"frank" discussions on "all issues". "History ismoving forward," the Belarusian presidency quoted Bolton as saying."A lot of time has passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union and thegeopolitical situation has changed."
The US embassy inMinsk said earlier that Bolton would "discuss regional security andemphasize US support for Belarus's sovereignty and independence" duringthe talks often dubbed "Europe's last dictatorship", Belarus has beenlargely isolated by the international community, though Russia remains a closeally. Speculation has swirled for years of unification with Russia, inparticular as a way for Putin to circumvent Russia's constitutional termlimits.
Lukashenko, aSoviet-era collective farm chief who become Belarus's first post-independencepresident, has often pushed back, saying earlier this year that 98 percent ofhis citizens oppose unification with Russia. Belarus was long subject toWestern sanctions over the country's poor rights record and lack of fairelections.
Russian 'weakspots'
In 2016 the USeased its sanctions, saying this opened the door to "expanded commercialties". The European Union meanwhile dropped its sanctions in what it saidwas a bid to encourage progress on human rights. But the Belarusian authoritieshave ramped up efforts to control media since anti-government demonstrations in2017, with independent journalists and activists facing pressure andharassment.
Bolton's visit toMinsk comes after a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kievon Wednesday. The US advisor stressedUkraine's "territorial integrity" in the face of its conflict with Moscow-backedseparatists in the country's east. Earlier yesterday Bolton met with thepresident and prime minister of Moldova, where he said the US would continueworking with the former Soviet republic in defense and the economy.
Moldova recentlyformed a new government made up of an unusual coalition of pro-European andpro-Russian forces, following months of political turmoil. "We discussed awide range of questions relating to bilateral ties, and noted how these hadstrengthened after a peaceful transfer of power in June this year,"Moldovan President Igor Dodon said. Analysts said Bolton's trip was aimed atprobing for "weak spots" on Russia's borders. "The United Statesis likely to search for openings to increase its influence in Ukraine, Belarusand Moldova," US geopolitical think tank Stratfor said.
It was thehighest-ranking US visit to Belarus in two decades, Stratfor said. The last USambassador to Minsk left the country in 2008 in a spat over sanctions. "While Belarus remains firmly withinRussia's orbit, the countries' recent spats over oil supplies may have createdan opening for the United States to attempt to expand economic and energyties," Stratfor added. - AFP