The President of Russia said in his speech to Belarusians that a senseless period of tensions in Russian-Belarusian relations will certainly end.

Dmitry Medvedev made his sensational statement on his video blog.

Here are some extras from the statement:

The Belarusian leadership has recently adopted an anti-Russian rhetoric. The election campaign there is based entirely on anti-Russian slogans, hysterical accusations of Russia’s unwillingness to support the Belarusian people and the Belarusian economy, and curses on the Russian leadership. A clear desire make mischief between the states and, accordingly, the nations is seen behind these actions.

An inclination to create an image of an external enemy in the public conscience has always been a distinguishing feature of the Belarusian leadership. Earlier, America, Europe, the West in general were assigned to this role. Now Russia has been announced one of the main enemies.

In his statements President Lukashenka goes far beyond bounds of not only diplomatic rules but also elementary human decency. However, it wasn’t new for me. I remember I was surprised when during our first bilateral meeting, instead of focusing on Russian-Belarusian relations, he began to talk about my predecessors as presidents of Russia, Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin, in great detail and in a extremely negatively tone. I had to remind my colleague then that we had to discuss entirely different issues.

Such a behavior is dishonest. Partners do not behave like that. Of course, we’ll take it into account when building our relations with the sitting President of Belarus.

Russia and its leadership are subjects of a stream of accusations and invectives. This is the basis of Lukashenka’s election campaign. He worries about many things: putting our economic relations in order, contacts between the Russian media and the Belarusian opposition, and even the fate of some of our high-ranking pensioners and dismissed officials.

President of Belarus had better turn to his country’s inner problems. Among them is investigation of numerous cases of disappearances of people. Like other countries, Russia is not indifferent to this.

Of course, this doesn’t define relations between nations and certain persons. I am certain of this as President of the Russian Federation. I also believe this senseless period of tensions will certainly end.

We want our citizens to live not in fear but in an atmosphere of freedom, democracy, and justice. We are ready to go this way together with our Belarusian friends.

Charter`97