Alexander Lukashenko Quotes

Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko is a Belarusian politician serving as President of Belarus since the office was created on 20 July 1994. Before launching his political career, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm and spent time with the Soviet Border Troops and the Soviet Army. He was the only deputy to vote against the independence of Belarus from the Soviet Union.

Lukashenko opposed Western-backed shock therapy during the post-Soviet transition. He has supported state ownership of key industries in Belarus, despite objections from Western governments. Lukashenko's government has also retained much of the country's Soviet-era symbolism, especially related to the victory in the Second World War. Western opponents of Lukashenko have described Belarus as 'Europe's last dictatorship'. Since 2006, Lukashenko and other Belarusian officials have also been the subject of on-and-off sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States for human rights violations. He responds that his policies are the only alternative to instability and have spared Belarus from the poverty and oligarchy seen elsewhere in the former Soviet republics.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, under Lukashenko's leadership Belarus has maintained government control over key industries and eschewed large-scale privatizations seen in other former Soviet republics.

✵ 30. August 1954
Alexander Lukashenko photo
Alexander Lukashenko: 10   quotes 6   likes

Famous Alexander Lukashenko Quotes

“As for those who are screaming about dictatorship...when I hear that come up I think that it is better to be a dictator - than to be gay.”

Response to criticism from German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, interview at a skiing event (4 March 2012). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO1SMJNhxi0&feature=youtu.be&t=82.

“If someone is a lesbian, it's man's fault.”

Comment about lesbians (2011), as seen on National Television of Belarus: Lukashenko about gays and lesbians http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HACHqxzi6M

“I look at Obama, a young man, a good-looking person. That is my first impression, I feel sorry for him. He looks 100% like Lukashenko, when I came to power after the downfall of the Soviet Union. The store shelves were empty, a severe financial crisis.”

As quoted in The Wall Street Journal - Belarus President Seeks to Deploy Russia Missiles (14 November 2008) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122662176384426603.html?mod=googlenews_wsj.

“We have rigged the latest election. 93.5 per cent have voted for Lukashenko. But they say it is not a European outcome. We have made it 86 per cent.”

Press conference for Ukrainian journalists (November 2006), as quoted in "Lukashenka Must be Dismissed From Office For Rigging Presidential Elections Results" in Charter97 (23 November 2006) http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2006/11/23/fals.

Alexander Lukashenko Quotes

“People who speak Belarusian can not do anything except talk on it, because it is impossible to express anything great in Belarusian. The Belarusian language is a poor language. There are only two great languages in the world. Russian and English.”

As quoted in Топ-10 самых скандальных и оскорбительных высказываний Лукашенко http://europeanbelarus.org/be/news/2012/2/24/3941/ // Civil campaign European Belarus, europeanbelarus.org (in Russian)

“I wish luck to you and your nation that loves you, as the election results we can see testify.”

Silvio Berlusconi in Minsk, as quoted in Results of the official visit of Silvio Berlusconi to Belarus http://www.belarus.by/en/press-center/news/results-of-the-official-visit-of-silvio-berlusconi-to-belarus_i_0000000549.html, 1 Dec. 2009, from belarus.by.

“I view the collapse of the Soviet Union as a disaster that entailed and still brings about negative consequences around the world. We got nothing good from this break-up.”

As quoted in "Lukashenko views Soviet Union collapse as disaster" https://eng.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-views-soviet-union-collapse-as-disaster-94985-2016/, BelTA, September 30, 2016.

“I have found yet another friend here. And with such a friend we will together form a team, like a soccer team. This will be a fighting team.”

Hugo Chávez, referring to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, to reporters during a state visit to Minsk, Belarus, on July 25, 2006. <nowiki>[24 http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2006/07/24/chavez_lauds_belarus_leader_as_friend/</nowiki>]

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