Belarus President, Alexander Lukashenko, goes to the act organized by his supporters in the capital city. The President thanked the participants and stressed that he had gathered the supporters, not for his sake but to defend the country.
"I did not mean gathering you in the square since you are busy enough… I remember 90ies, when people gathered here with cooking pots and children, demanding food. I am not for meetings, but it is not my fault that I mobilized you here… Look around: tanks and air jets are in fifteen minutes' distance from here… NATO troops are surrounding our country… The west is mobilizing its military forces at our borders", – Lukashenko said.
Alexander Lukashenko also mentioned that he did not share the idea of rerunning elections.
"Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and, unfortunately, our dear Ukraine, and their leaders call on to rerun the elections. If we follow their instructions, we will never be allowed to activate our jets and will be destroyed as a country, people, and nation," – said Lukashenko.
Around 2000 people gathered to support the government in Minsk, writes local media.
On 9 August, presidential election results were publicized in the country, with this followed by mass protest actions. The opposition does not recognize the 80% votes victory of Lukashenko. People took to the streets and protested against Lukashenko's government. Following the crackdown on demonstrators, more than 6,000 were detained, including journalists. Two protesters reportedly died.
On the background of the developments, the world leaders and international organizations expressed concern over the situation in Belarus while the United States and European Union plan new sanctions against the country.
