Ask Dubauets. About closing the borders of Belarus with the EU, what Karatkevich would do today and whether Belarus needs NATO

2023-08-12 09:00:00

– So what is happening in Belarus now: the occupation, the regime or the “Belarusian authorities”?

– Back in May 1995, after the pogrom in the parliament, Vasil Bykau clearly considered Lukashenka a classic junta. So he wrote: “The country is ruled by a junta.” After that, we called it “Belarusian authorities” for a long time, because we hoped for the best. And now our neighbors want to close themselves “from stupid aggression from Belarus with its Wagners”.

It is necessary to be precise in wording. The pro-Russian junta captured our dear Belarus.

– How do you feel about the closing of the borders of Belarus by neighboring democratic countries?

– Negative. This is a populist step, the only result of which is the isolation of democratically minded Belarusians in the country and abroad. Non-democrats do not go abroad. That is, the entire country will become Akrestsin for Belarusians.

Will it increase the security of the neighbors? On the contrary. They will not have one dictator holding on to power, but the entire DPRK. On the other hand, it is naive to think that provocateurs or the armed forces from Belarus, who are allegedly feared by the neighbors, will go through the checkpoint and passport control.

– What would Uladzimer Karatkevich do today?

– I would write books. Just as Bykov did, as Orlov does. And since the chances of this for all the mentioned writers in Belarus are zero, Karatkevich would have to work in Vilnius, Warsaw or Prague, which, however, he would not perceive as emigration, because he lived to the fullest in his books and wrote to him everywhere, where he was not disturbed.

In 2020, he would go to mass marches, because he would not be able not to admire their beauty, which was largely born from his books.

– Does it make sense to celebrate the Belarusian elections all over the world, which actually did not take place three years ago?

— It makes sense to remember that on August 9, 2020, in all (!) cities and even villages of Belarus, people went out en masse to vote with ribbons on their wrists. How many were there? A million, two, three? This is the most murderous fact for the dictatorship. Therefore, everything is done to erase him from memory.

The opposition also does not talk about it in every speech. There are not only statistics, but also a collection of testimonies from all settlements, which must have been recorded and expanded in the infospace. Because for the opposition, this is the most valuable asset that legitimizes it in the eyes of Belarusians.

– Does Belarus need NATO?

– If we do not indulge in fantasies about a distant tomorrow, which is in no way impossible today, then there are two options. Where would the Baltic countries and Poland be if they had not become part of NATO? They answer for themselves: where Ukraine is today, it is under Russian aggression. Or where Belarus is today under a pro-Russian junta, which is basically the same thing.

The third possible option for Belarus is to become part of Russia and stop being itself. That is, NATO for Belarusians is a Hamlet question about themselves: to be or not to be. Of course, to be. Let it be at the declarative level.

– Somehow, to the question: Who is worse for Belarusians – Lukashenka or Hitler, you said: “If personally, then Lukashenka.” What does “if personal” mean?

– Hitler dreamed of exterminating Jews and Gypsies, isolated them in concentration camps. The destruction of all others, including Belarusians, was not included in his dark plans.

Lukashenko dreams of destroying Belarusians as a nation, isolates them in his concentration camps. In other words, Lukashenka personally targeted Belarusians, like Hitler targeted Jews and Gypsies. It should not be forgotten that at the beginning of his presidency Lukashenka named Hitler’s Germany as a model for his presidential republic.

– This year’s Gedroyts award, like last year and the year after, will be in exile. How does this affect premiums?

– At first glance, it is paradoxical. As a frequent “lawyer”, I always had the feeling, if not complete disagreement with the choice of books, then the indisputability of the result. And in emigration, our main literary prize seems to have taken its place. She seems to have found herself, and this is maturity, authority and one of the main assets of our democracy. That is, in fact, it is not a paradox, but an accelerated maturation in the unfavorable circumstances of the war.

The opinions expressed in the author’s columns represent the views of the authors and do not reflect the position of the editors.

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