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BERLIN / MINSK. German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned against outside interference in the conflict in Belarus. In response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that he would have a reaction force ready for Belarusian head of state Alexander Lukashenko, she said: “I hope that no such force will be deployed.”
People who “bravely took to the streets” in Belarus should have the freedom to demonstrate and express their opinion. “They should be able to do this independently, from any direction without outside interference. That is our wish.” It is important that “the sovereignty of the country is respected and that the people can follow their own path,” said the Chancellor.
In the former Soviet republic there have been protests and strikes against Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years, more than two weeks. The trigger was the election, overshadowed by accusations of falsification, after which the 65-year-old was declared the winner with 80.1 percent of the vote.
Russia had agreed on Thursday to help its neighbors with emergency services if the situation worsened. A separate reserve had been created in the event of an intervention, Putin told Rossiya 1 television station. This was done at the request of President Lukashenko in Minsk.
“Unacceptable”
Merkel also criticized the actions of the security forces in Belarus against journalists. According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, around 50 representatives of the media were temporarily detained during the protests. Angela Merkel stressed that Belarus would be told “that we do not find it acceptable.”
