Фото: Facebook Виктора Бабарико
Viktar Babaryka published a post on Tuesday morning in which he outlined what he intends to focus on going forward and defined his goal as a non-Russian, non-nuclear and democratic Belarus.
Babaryka noted that he would not write a long text and was not ready to present a “detailed roadmap” of his steps, but wanted to describe the goal and the possibilities for achieving it. According to him, he was only outlining a starting point from which he would address people.
He also stressed that the post was not a political statement.
“I will say right away: this is not a political statement and not a decision to ‘remain’ in politics,” he wrote.
Babaryka described his role as that of a manager.
“I am a manager, and if there is anything I know how to do, it is to propose a vision of the future, structure and shape paths toward a set goal, assess and find resources for this (people, forming teams and tools, and so on), organise work, exercise control over implementation, make necessary adjustments, and provide reports on activities to those who gave me the opportunity to contribute to achieving agreed goals,” he wrote.
Babaryka defined his goal as a “non-Russian (independent), non-nuclear, democratic Belarus — a necessary element of Europe’s security”. He also explained what he meant by these concepts.
“Non-Russian” — the almost complete dependence of Belarus on Russia’s raw material resources, along with sanctions imposed by developed countries for complicity in aggression against Ukraine, has led to our products being sold mainly on the markets of the “eastern brother”. This significantly limits our sovereignty and our ability to live the way we want, rather than to please someone else.
“Non-nuclear” — the removal from the constitution of articles on the non-nuclear status and neutrality of our country has effectively resulted in a “suicide belt” being strapped to us in the form of the “Oreshnik” system, with the control button in Moscow’s hands. It has also turned the country into an enemy for our neighbours and for all of Europe. As a result, we are perceived as a threat rather than a friendly nation, which does little to promote prosperity and improve living conditions for every individual.
“Democratic” — a country that has the ability to choose its path of development by having that vision shaped by all citizens, not only by those who believe that we have not yet matured enough to do this and that only they know what this “little people” need. We must build a country in which the people formulate demands to the authorities to achieve public well-being, rather than the authorities dictating what and how we must do things to preserve themselves.
Babaryka acknowledged that the situation today looks bleak, but said it is not hopeless.
“Can this ‘elephant be eaten all at once’? Unlike 2020, when we were very close to beginning to do just that and had a clearly understood timeframe and the tools needed for it, the situation now looks much worse. But I do not consider it hopeless.
That is why I was engaged and will continue to be engaged in building such a country, regardless of the field in which my efforts are needed,” he concluded.
The post was published in two versions, in Russian and Belarusian.
It should be noted that a day earlier in Berlin, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her advisers met with Viktar Babaryka and Maria Kalesnikava to discuss a strategy for further action.