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MINSK, July 21 /BelTA/ – In an interview with the news agency France Presse (AFP), the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, said why he agreed to this conversation, BelTA has learned.
Alexander Lukashenko explained: “Why did I agree to the interview? When I learned that you are an independent person and your company is independent. That you can express an independent point of view as much as possible in this world.
In particular, Alexander Lukashenko mentioned the AFP report on the situation in Lisichansk. For this, the agency drew criticism in the West, as the information was allegedly not interpreted in favor of the Ukrainian side. “I can’t say you’re completely objective, but you’re close to the truth,” he said. “You showed the truth and not exactly the way the news should be reported in the West. But you were heavily criticized.
The president emphasized that he supports this kind of independence and objectivity in the media: “I am for such media. I am in favor of not violating these basic principles. But the key principle is never to make things worse for your own country, never to fight against your own country and your own nation. You cannot change the state and you cannot change the nation. You have to respond to the nation, its spirit and traditions. I’m all for it.”
Alexander Lukashenko pointed out that Agence France-Presse never made anti-state statements, unlike some Belarusian so-called free media. “As far as I know, you are a freedom-loving people. The authorities may not like you in some aspects, but you stick to your politics. After taking an interest in your work, I did not notice an anti-state position in it. I didn’t notice you were against France or even the European Union. You always occupied your own niche, saw the world through your own eyes and were more or less objective,” he said. “Our ‘opposition’ and mass media, which were funded only by foreign sources, presented nothing of the kind, including the so-called free media.
“But I strongly disagree with the Western assessment of our domestic political situation,” Alexander Lukashenko said. “It is clearly designed to meet the interests of the West. For example, if you don’t like Lukashenko, then you can criticize him as you like.
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