SOLNECHNOGORSK /Moscow Region/, August 23. /TASS/: The situation in Belarus is clearly normalizing but there are those who wish to implement the Ukrainian scenario, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the youth educational forum ‘Territory of Senses’ on Sunday.
"The Belarusian people will decide itself how to resolve this situation," Lavrov stressed.
"I believe that the clear signs of the situation getting normal are quite important. I also know that not everyone likes this and there are those who wish to make this normal, peaceful trend of the developments in Belarus violent after all, provoke bloodshed and turn them into the Ukrainian scenario," he said.
Belarusians can cope with the situation in the country on their own, it is important to prevent provocations, said Lavrov.
"Our approach is very simple: this is an internal affair of Belarus. Belarusians can quite cope with the situation on their own, being a wise people. The main thing is to make sure that unrest is not provoked from the outside," Russia’s top diplomat said.
Russia will not object to any decision by the Belarusian leadership on dialogue with its people, said Lavrov.
"We will not be against any decision, which the Belarusian leadership will make on dialogue with its population," Lavrov said.
"But when the West says that only mediation with the participation of Western countries will be effective, everyone, of course, has fresh memories about how it all developed in Ukraine when the Western mediation made our corresponding partners fully unable to comply with their commitments," the Russian foreign minister said.
The situation in Belarus was a major theme at the negotiations of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. At their meeting in France that lasted many hours, Macron urged to avoid the escalation of tension in Belarus and exclude the use of force.
Macron said the European Union was interested in the democratic and all-embracing transitional period in the republic and fair elections. The French president also stated his readiness to act as a mediator jointly with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Russia considers dialogue in Belarus on the Constitutional reform as quite promising, Russia’s Foreign Minister said. "We proceed from the fact that no recipes should be imposed. President [of Belarus Alexander] Lukashenko has spoken for dialogue on many occasions lately during his meetings with workers, including the most important proposal and dialogue on the Constitutional reform. It seems to me that this is the way, which is quite promising," Russia’s top diplomat said.
Belarusian President Lukashenko earlier stated his readiness to give away some presidential powers but only within the framework of the Constitutional reform. New elections in Belarus can be held only after the country’s new Constitution is adopted, he said.
