President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has been ruling Belarus since 1994, had some harsh words for Poland during his meeting with members of his government, including Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei.
“We do not intend to conduct war with anyone. We do not want war, but if they will refer to us in ways such as those from the end of last year and that they are currently using, they will get slapped and slapped very hard,” Lukashenko said in regards to what he sees as interference by the Polish government, with his quote cited by the government agency Belta.
“All one needs to do is behave like passive observers: where necessary, we should react accordingly, like in the case of Grodno and Brest. But we will not avoid speaking out against neighbors using normal language,” he explained.
The Belarusian leader referred to the recent arrests of Polish minority activists. He said that it was “a reaction of law enforcement to the breaking of law by some Belarusian citizens who call themselves Poles.”
He indicated that the state needs to observe the activities of “destructive structures” and conduct control of all language schools (having in mind the Polish language), boy scout organizations and other structures “sponsored from abroad”.
“We do not intend to slaughter those who bring benefits to the state. But we have seen who is who. This is why we must shake them. If they will be able to work for the state, we will cooperate with them. If not, they will be put under the knife,” he declared.
