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Belarusian President says no desire to join NATO

Xinhua, February 4, 2017 Adjust font size:

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said here on Friday his country does not seek to join NATO, hoping to keep good ties with its neighboring Russia.

At a press conference, the president explained that Belarus always cherished sacred agreement with Russia on the defense of Belarusian space and land.

"We are not Ukraine. We are not anti-Russian, and we do not aspire to NATO", he said, stressing the Belarusians should not offend the Russians.

Speaking about difficult oil and gas relations with Russia, the Belarusian president expressed his wish that this conflict would be solved at the top level and would not affect the daily life of the people.

Belarus is at loggerheads with Russia over the unresolved dispute over oil and gas. Russian media reports said Moscow will reduce oil supplies to Belarus from 4.5 to 4 tons in the first quarter of 2017, hoping to press Minsk to pay 425 million U.S. dollar gas debt.

Lukashenko also said he would welcome anyone wishing to monitor military exercises Belarus and Russia had planned to hold this year. Endit