The government does not plan to devaluate the Belarusian rubel, Alyaksandr Lukashenka told reporters in Lida, Hrodna region, on Saturday during Dazhynki 2010, a national end-of-harvest festival.
According to the Belarusian leader, those who spread rumors about a possible devaluation of the national currency aim to destabilize the situation in the country and create panic.
The country has enough gold and foreign exchange reserves to pay back people’s bank deposits, Mr. Lukashenka noted.
"We are not going to devaluate our currency to please someone," whatever advice may be given by the International Monetary Fund, the European Union or Russia, he said. "We are able to think for ourselves," he added.
Mr. Lukashenka promised that the government would "tell people in advance" if it was going to devaluate or strengthen the national currency.
"At present there is no critical situation in the country, but it’s advantageous for our enemies of the people to destabilize the situation in order not only to win this election but also to show that Lukashenka is unfit," he said.
"You can see that there is pressure from all sides," Mr. Lukashenka said. "They want to bend me over, but I’m unbendable. It’s useless to pressurize us, but they will pressurize anyway. That’s why we should calm down and go about our business."
