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Alexander Lukashenko says Europe should prevent Russia from the actions against Belarus

19 September 2008 15:43 (UTC +04:00)

London â€“APA. The Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko acknowledged that he has irritated Russia by not recognizing the breakaway Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But he didnâ€™t not rule out doing so in future, saying the new parliament should have a say. â€œGod forbid Russia should try and do the same against Belarus. In that unimaginable case Europe would have the full right to resist Russia with no compromise on any methods or leverage,â€ he said in his interview with The Financial Times. Lukashenko urged the West to take active part in the processes in the post-Soviet territory. He said he was breaking Belarusian laws to ensure the polls meet EU norms during the upcoming parliamentary elections, for example in pushing electoral commissions to include more opposition representatives. He also welcomes international observers. But he warns the EU and the US to be objective in their post-election assessments, accusing the west of â€œdouble standardsâ€. Lukashenko said he was serving his country well and insisted he was in no hurry to go, pointing out that â€œthe English Queenâ€ has been in power for some time.