Rally in Minsk

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko addressed a rally of his supporters in Minsk on 16 August.

“Dear friends, I did not call you here to protect me, though this too. You came here so that we could protect, for the first time in a quarter of a century, our country, our families, our sisters, our wives and children,” the head of state said addressing the rally.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said he did not want to call people to the square, because they have a lot to do at home: village workers are harvesting grain, parents and teachers are preparing for the new school year. “But the most important thing: I remember those 1990s - people stood here, workers with pots and kettles demanding food to feed the children. I saw it all. And I pledged to help you and to prevent situations when the fate of Belarusians would be decided in street action. I am not a supporter of street action, rallies. But alas, this is not my fault that I had to call you for help,” the President said.

Belarus does not need a foreign government, we need our own government, our own leadership, Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “They offer us a new government. It has already been established abroad. They cannot figure out who will come here to govern. However, we remember history. There were plenty of such governments, and one of them is now ruling in America. We do not need foreign governments. We need our own government, our own leadership and we will elect them,” the President said and received a thunderous ovation.

The participants of the rally chanted support.

“They offer us a new government. They offer NATO soldiers. They want to push us into poverty and whip into submission. Don’t you see that? If someone wants it, count me out. I will never agree on the dismantlement of our state! I will never agree on the destruction of what has been created by us! This will never happen,” the Belarusian leader exclaimed.

These words were welcomed enthusiastically by a cheering crowd.

“Another important thing that cannot but raise concern (we have discussed it with President Putin): you see not only the statements of these states located to the west of us, not only their proposals. An interesting report came this morning that they want to form a human chain from Vilnius to Kyiv, a solidarity chain. There are not enough ‘non-indifferent’ people forming chains and holding flowers in the Minsk avenue… They want to form a chain from Vilnius to Kyiv and gather over 300,000 people,” the head of state said.

“I instruct the Defense Ministry, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB, as well as the Prosecutor General, to give an assessment to this and prevent actions like this,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

He went on saying: “I already went through this after the collapse of the Soviet Union when there was an attempt to establish the Baltic-Black Sea region – a buffer area consisting of three Baltic states, Belarus and Ukraine, that sought to cut Russia from the West.” “We do not want to serve as a lavatory for anyone, a sanitary cordon. We are fully aware what it can lead to. Therefore, the Russian President and I have agreed to coordinate our actions here,” the head of state noted.

The President recalled the things he said earlier that the election campaign would be interesting and it would become even more interesting after it. “Save Belarus, as it no longer belongs to us, but to our children and grandchildren. We have somehow lived our life to the present day. What will we leave for them? Present times are difficult. That is why I have asked you to come. I have asked you to come to protect the country, to support the people to fight for you, for your future,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The head of state once again thanked the people who have joined the rally. “You have shown that you are the masters – from Bragin, Volkovysk, Mogilev and Vitebsk – of this country and this capital. They [the opponents to the current authorities] will remember our meeting here long. Thank you very much!” the President said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also expressed gratitude to servicemen and veterans, rural workers and factory workers and called upon the latter not to allow their companies be given away as it would be impossible to return them.

“Back then, in the mid-1990s, at rallies and on squares and unfortunately here in the parliament, we destroyed everything that God had given us: our huge and great empire that had a say in every decision in the world. We got a bleeding piece of that empire. What did people want back then? You asked for a piece of bread. You asked for 20 dollars of salary, you asked to bail out factories, you asked for a tractor, a combine harvester in order to save the countryside. You asked not to privatize factories and plants. You asked to let peasants keep their land. You asked to keep healthcare and education free. You asked to give back honor to officers and soldiers who were afraid to go outside,” the President said.

“You asked me, a political novice, to pull people back from the brink. We did that. We did what millions of predecessors dreamed about. We built a sovereign independent state, for the first time in our history. Time chose us back then and we did that,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

“I have children and grandchildren, like all of you. I want them to live on their own land, in their own state like you and I have lived for a quarter of a century,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

"I want to address those who are lost, who are disoriented today. I want to ask you: what do you want now?" the head of state asked.

"Peace!" the rally participants shouted back.

"Do you want freedom, tell me which kind of freedom do you want?" the President said.

"Peaceful!" the people replied.

"Do you want changes? What kind of changes?" Aleksandr Lukashenko asked the question again.

"Peaceful!" people shouted back.

“Do you want reforms? Tell me what kind of reforms and we will start them tomorrow! Do you want helicopter money? But you, the people who are standing here on this square, more than 50,000, know there is no helicopter money. Money must be earned every day, and not on squares, but in fields, plants and factories,” the Belarusian leader said.