Poczobut comments on Lukashenko's statements. "That's His True Purpose"

Before the meeting at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Lodz, during which Poczobut delivered a lecture "History as a threat. Post-truth and law in the service of authoritarian regimes", the journalist informed that in the near future he plans to visit Polish universities, where he will talk about, among others, about the history and politics of post-Soviet countries. I was a journalist for 20 years; I described the reality in Belarus, but I also wrote a lot about Moldova and Kazakhstan. I have been to various post-Soviet countries and I know this post-Soviet area well enough, he said.

Poczobut: The most important thing for me is the situation of Poles in Belarus

He emphasized that the most important topic for him remains the Polish minority in Belarus, the situation of Polish education and the Union of Poles in Belarus.

It has been over five months since I left prison and I am using all this time mainly to talk about the fate of Poles in Belarus. A situation that is difficult and dramatic, but also has an optimistic thread, because regardless of the wave of repression that took place in Belarus in 2021 and later, the Union of Poles survived. I believe that the Polish minority in Belarus will have better conditions than they currently have, he added.

According to Poczobut, the activities of the Union of Poles in Belarus are currently "terribly limited" and cannot be compared with what was before 2020. On the other hand, the activist considers it a great achievement that while "political parties and trade unions collapsed in Belarus, the minority organization survived."

The former prisoner of Lukashenko's regime also believes that the policy of Western countries will lead to the expansion of the space of freedom in Belarus. This is how he interprets the fact that Alexander Lukashenko's regime is interested in economic cooperation with the West.

Reaction to Lukashenko's statements

When asked about Lukashenko's recent statements, he hints that he would like to resume economic exchange with Poland, citing, among others, that it is a close neighbor of Belarus, Poczobut explained that the Belarusian dictator actually wants to "stabilize the Belarusian economy, strengthen his power and keep the regime in good shape."

This is Alexander Lukashenko's business. When undertaking any dialogue and cooperation, we should bear in mind that this is its true goal. The West has a certain instrument and how it intends to use it is a question for Western politicians. This message from Lukashenko is nothing new, he always talked about neighborly issues if he wanted cooperation. We heard this message in 2007, 2013 and 2016. Lukashenko has been in power for over 30 years and is predictable in some things, the activist noted.

Announcement of return to Belarus

Poczobut announced that in December he intended to return to his home in Belarus, where he recently stayed for a week - from September 8 to 15. As he told PAP, he is tired of journalists' questions about his return to Grodno. This stay was short only because of the necessary preparations for the trip to the United States and Canada. If there were no such plans, I would spend much more time in Grodno. Grodno is the place of my life, and the rest is due to the fact that I have various duties, trips, meetings, but it has always been like this, he emphasized.