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Belarus expels Swedish ambassador over teddy bear air drop

  • 05-08-2012 9:48am
    #1
    Scofflaw
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,283 ✭✭✭✭


    Belarus, run by post-Soviet hard man Alexander Lukashenko, has expelled the Swedish Ambassador over a stunt by a Swedish firm a month ago:
    A plane chartered by a Swedish PR firm dropped hundreds of teddy bears over Belarus on July 4 in a pro-democracy stunt, prompting President Alexander Lukashenko to sack his air defence chief and the head of the border guards.

    "The Lukashenko regime in Belarus has decided to expel our ambassador," Bildt said yesterday. "They have made accusations against the ambassador. They are groundless. Fundamentally, this is about Sweden being engaged in democracy and human rights in Belarus."

    Lukashenko apparently takes border security seriously:
    “There should be no violations of border breaching. All of them must be prevented with all available measures, including arms, no matter what,” Lukashenko said.

    The accusations against the Swedish Ambassador are pretty wild:
    (Ambassador) Ericsson was aiming at “ruining Belarusian-Swedish relations rather than strengthening them,” Ministry press secretary Andrey Savinykh alleged.

    Officials had allegedly obtained documented evidence of Stefan Ericsson’s “illegal behavior” in the country, Belarusian state TV channel ONT broadcast Friday night: “The ambassador Ericsson personally handed the money to representatives of the Belarusian extremist organizations, who were preparing for a coup to overthrow Belarus’ government."

    The broadcast also alleged that the Swedish embassy was also being used to train individuals from radical groups, including “how to organize mass disturbances, riots and attack police.”

    http://www.rt.com/news/eu-response-swedish-ambassador-belarus-expelled-850/

    The EU is apparently 'considering its response'.

    cordially,
    Scofflaw


Comments

  • #2
    FreudianSlippers
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,397 ✭✭✭✭FreudianSlippers


    Scofflaw wrote: »

    The EU is apparently 'considering its response'.

    Ah, the old EU code for "won't do anything"!

    Hilarious stuff really!


  • #3
    Scofflaw
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,283 ✭✭✭✭Scofflaw


    FreudianSlippers wrote: »
    Ah, the old EU code for "won't do anything"!

    Hilarious stuff really!

    I admit that Baroness Ashton doesn't fill me with confidence...pretty much ever, really.

    cordially,
    Scofflaw


  • #4
    Dannyboy83
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,236 ✭✭✭Dannyboy83


    From his portrayal in the Western media, I had expected to hear some really awful things from the Belarusians about Lukashenko.
    The opposite was the case, they seem to love him, as with the Russians and Putin.

    Post-soviet strong man is a derogatory statement in the West, but in the Russian States (including the Russian half of Ukraine), they crave these dictatorial figures (as long as they're pro Russian).

    Very different culture and mentality to the British Isles.

    I don't know where the money comes from and I'm not going to bother speculating, but you see the Belarusians rolling into Vilnius in the Summer, and they seem to be very affluent indeed. They spread the money around and it doesn't go unnoticed.

    The Scandinavian states, and in particular Sweden, have made significant investments and efforts to build up their relationship with the Baltic States, and this seems to really annoy the Russian sphere.

    Based on my past experience of the Belarussians, they will approve of Lukashenko's actions here.


  • #5
    Cork boy 55
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,324 ✭✭✭Cork boy 55


    Dannyboy83 wrote: »
    From his portrayal in the Western media, I had expected to hear some really awful things from the Belarusians about Lukashenko.
    The opposite was the case, they seem to love him, as with the Russians and Putin.

    Post-soviet strong man is a derogatory statement in the West, but in the Russian States (including the Russian half of Ukraine), they crave these dictatorial figures (as long as they're pro Russian).

    Very different culture and mentality to the British Isles.

    I don't know where the money comes from and I'm not going to bother speculating, but you see the Belarusians rolling into Vilnius in the Summer, and they seem to be very affluent indeed. They spread the money around and it doesn't go unnoticed.

    The Scandinavian states, and in particular Sweden, have made significant investments and efforts to build up their relationship with the Baltic States, and this seems to really annoy the Russian sphere.

    Based on my past experience of the Belarussians, they will approve of Lukashenko's actions here.

    Whats the regional take on the minsk subway bombing last year
    I started a thread in the israel/conspriacy forum on it for some reason
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=71664996
    A few posters posted blaming israel no interest otherwise.:rolleyes:


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