Lukashenko urges dialogue between rioters, authorities in Kazakhstan

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko called upon the rioters in Kazakhstan to start negotiations with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as he spoke at the government meeting to discuss Belarus' historical policy on 6 January, BelTA has learned.

“I want to address the protesters on behalf of Belarusians. It is time to wrap things up, to negotiate before everything has gone too far. President Tokayev is open to negotiations. He is a decent person, a diplomat. He is a very intelligent and educated man,” stressed the Belarusian leader.

Aleksandr Lukashenko is convinced that people in Kazakhstan should understand one thing: this is their country and they will not have another one. "Turning the country upside down is easy, but it will be expensive to restore it afterwards. The contradictions between the clans, groups are huge there. They need to find an agreement," he said.

"They need to apologize to the military in order to smooth over the recent cracks and sit down with the authorities, with Tokayev for the negotiations to discuss ways of building the state," the president said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko considers the situation in Kazakhstan instructive for Belarus. "It's a lesson for us. One more lesson. In the sense that we now understand what could have happened to us. Belarusians are peaceful people, but that's not the point. Because other people, not Belarusians, would have held the reigns in Belarus," the head of state said.