30 January 2008
Belarus is not interested in bad relations with Poland, Lukashenka says

Belarus is absolutely not interested in bad relations with Poland, just like with Lithuania, Ukraine and Russia, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said on January 29, according to the Belarusian leader’s press office.

If there are any problems in relations between Belarus and Poland, they only affect “officials and not common people,” Mr. Lukashenka said during Tuesday’s ceremony of awarding a doctor’s degree and the title of professor to a number of researchers and educators.

“Officials come and go, politics, which exist today, will go with them,” he said. “If something is actually happening in our relations, one should not look for the cause in Belarus. I think we’ll cope with this situation.”

Mr. Lukashenka was commenting in response to Boleslaw Hmelnitski, chairman of the Poland-Belarus Society, a recipient of a doctor’s degree in historya, who spoke about the two countries’ relations at the ceremony.

Mr. Lukashenka suggested that the quality of dissertations submitted by scientists should be under severe scrutiny. “There is no room for protectionism in science; there shouldn’t be accidental people there,” he stressed.

“I’m opposed to any politicization of science, but there’s probably no science that stays away from politics today,” Mr. Lukashenka said while speaking about historical research in Belarus. “I would hate it if you, scientists, were drawn into politics. We shouldn’t reject the heritage that we have. There are many facts in our history which we should be proud of.”

Mikhail Myasnikovich, head of the National Academy of Sciences, reported to Mr. Lukashenka on the current state and development prospects of geological exploration in Belarus, the press office said.

Participants also discussed the development of nuclear power engineering in Belarus and the training of personnel for Belarus’ planned nuclear power plant, the press office said.

“The awarding of degrees and titles is not just the ultimate recognition of your achievements,” Mr. Lukashenka said. “It also means tremendous responsibility before the country and the nation for the efficiency of scientific research, for the successful implementation of the government’s innovation program, which requires daily scientific support.”