Lukashenko rejects West's criticism over human rights, citing heavy legacy from WWII
ST. PETERSBURG. July 18 (Interfax) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has warned Western nations against criticizing Minsk and Moscow over human rights and fundamental freedoms.
"When people in the West are criticizing us - there was more criticism before and a bit less now - it is not because they have become more conscientious. No, they haven't. I am telling them: you have not yet compensated us for that last war that you created in your territory. And over the past seven decades, we haven't properly recovered from that devastating war. So you should be more careful with human rights, democracy and other points of criticism, which we are hearing, sometimes unfounded," Lukashenko said at the Forum of Belarusian and Russian Regions in St. Petersburg.
The Belarusians and Russians have been put through so many trials and survived them with dignity, he said.
"We have nothing to be ashamed in our history. As the President [Vladimir Putin] said, we need to protect it [history] as a holy thing, because this is our greatest heritage," Lukashenko said.