LUKASHENKO CRITICIZES PUTIN, BACKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 000882 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO RS SUBJECT: LUKASHENKO CRITICIZES PUTIN, BACKS MULTI-DIRECTIONAL FOREIGN POLICY REF: A. MINSK 003 ¶B. MINSK 463 ¶C. MINSK 875 Classified By: Ambassador Karen Stewart for reason 1.4 (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) At an October 12 press conference with Russian journalists, President Lukashenko criticized the Putin government for limiting the GOB's access to Russian mass media and stalling Belarusian-Russian integration. Lukashenko advocated a "multi-directional" GOB foreign policy emphasizing close ties with China and improving relations with the West. End summary. Lukashenko Criticizes Russian Media Bias -------------- ¶2. (U) On October 12, President Lukashenko held a fifth annual press conference with 70 journalists from almost 40 Russian provinces. Lukashenko identified the press conference's main goal as addressing Russia's "deficit" of "accurate and complete" information about Belarus. Calling a "single information space" an "integral part" of the Union State agreement, Lukashenko contrasted the inaccessibility of the Russian media market with the "complete openness" of GOB mass media to "differing points of view." ...And Putin for the Stalled Union State -------------- ¶3. (U) Crediting Russia's regional governments with the Union State's continued existence, Lukashenko squarely focused blame for problems in Union State development on what he called the Putin government's lack of readiness for an equal partnership. Lukashenko criticized Russian plans to build pipelines around Belarus to circumvent transit fees, which, according to the GOB leader, Putin had guaranteed as compensation for price hikes on Russian oil and natural gas earlier in the year (ref A). Moreover, he described Russian authorities' recent seizures and destruction of Belarusian sugar products at the Russia-Belarus border as "scandals" that do not typify a normal union relationship. Lukashenko attributed such actions to a continuation of Soviet-era Russian efforts to subsume Belarus. GOB Foreign Policy: Lukashenko Talks Tito -------------- ¶4. (U) Lukashenko's comments on foreign policy were ambiguous. Though critical of Putin's policies, Lukashenko declared Belarusians and Russians to be one nation and good relations with Russia the GOB's "absolute foreign policy priority." Moreover, he echoed opposition to U.S. plans to deploy anti-ballistic missile facilities in the Czech Republic as a threat to security. However, he also described the GOB aim of improving relations with the United States and EU as "first of all." While arguing that close GOB ties with Iran and Venezuela were necessary to compensate for problematic relations with the West, he distanced himself from GOB arms sales to the Chavez regime, declaring himself "out of the picture." When asked with whom Belarus had its best bilateral relations, Lukashenko replied "China." Lukashenko tried to reconcile the conflicts and ambiguities in these statements by comparing his "multi-directional" foreign policy (ref B) with that of Yugoslavia during the Cold War. Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) Lukashenko alluded to the Soviet Union several times to rebuke Putin's government. The obvious irony in his criticism of Putin for creating a "cult of personality" and restricting media were, no doubt, unintentional. However, Lukashenko's bluster indicates both his disappointment with the prospect of Putin remaining in a position of authority and his continuing need to prove his leadership to a domestic audience. Although the regime's response to the October 14 European March was relatively measured (ref C),we see no indications that Belarus' dictator is embarked on a Western path. STEWART