Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on statements by Foreign Minister of Lithuania Linas Linkevicius on the situation in Belarus

Statements by Foreign Minister of Lithuania Linas Linkevicius on the situation in Belarus are truly perplexing. He said he is watching with concern how the authorities are fighting against their people who are ostensibly threatened.  We believe it is at the least inappropriate for the Lithuanian Foreign Minister to accuse the authorities in a neighbouring country of “disrespect for their people.”

It is hard to qualify certain statements as anything other than interference in another country’s internal affairs: statements on the “illegitimacy” of the elections in Belarus, references to Alexander Lukashenko as “the former President,” and sanctions against him. Moreover, Vilnius granted asylum to one of the nominees and arranged meetings for her not only with Lithuanian leaders but also high-ranking US and EU officials, calling for “resolute international actions.”

These steps by Vilnius, which the Lithuanian masters of political intrigue try to disguise as a desire “to help” Belarusians, are in reality only trying to sway the situation. Instead of letting the Belarusians settle a difficult situation themselves, the Lithuanian Foreign Minister is openly imposing what seems to him to be “the correct direction” on his Belarusian neighbours.

We have to note that undisguised interference in the affairs of this neighbouring state has become routine for Vilnius, which is actively working with representatives of the so-called Russian non-systemic opposition. But it is important to remember that striving to extinguish a fire by pouring kerosene on it can be very dangerous, including for those who root for such technological experiments.