Belarus President Defends Plane Diversion, Defying Pressure From West
May 26 2021 - 5:57AM
Dow Jones News
By Georgi Kantchev and Ann M. Simmons
MOSCOW -- Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko defended his
handling of the diversion of a Ryanair flight over the weekend and
accused Western leaders of trying to interfere in the country's
affairs, charging that they had crossed red lines in their attacks
on the former Soviet state.
The Belarusian leader said his country was justified in asking
the plane to land, heeding reports that there were explosives on
board, and in doing so had averted a tragedy. He said he had acted
legally to protect people's lives.
"We responded adequately to the information received," Mr.
Lukashenko said in a speech to parliamentarians on Wednesday, in
his first comments since the Sunday incident. "How would the United
States react in such a situation in view of their sad
experience?"
European Union and U.S. leaders were swift to condemn the forced
landing of the plane, which was carrying a dissident journalist who
was later arrested, and on Monday they agreed to impose a new round
of sanctions on Belarus and ban its airlines from entering the
bloc's airspace and airports.
Western leaders have demanded the release of the journalist and
activist, Roman Protasevich, who became one of the lead actors
behind a wave of antigovernment protests last year in the wake of
August's presidential election. Mr. Lukashenko claimed to have won
in a landslide, but Western officials said the vote was neither
free nor fair. Opponents have been demanding the resignation of the
Belarusian leader, who has been in power since 1994.
"As we predicted, our ill-wishers from outside and inside the
country have changed the methods of attacking the state," Mr.
Lukashenko said. "They crossed the boundaries of common sense and
human morality."
He added, "No sooner had the plane landed in Minsk, carbon-copy
accusations from the West and flight bans started pouring in."
The incident has raised questions over the legality of the
plane's grounding. U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned
the move as "a shocking assault on civil aviation and an assault on
international law," which "represents a danger to civilian flights
everywhere."
Mr. Lukashenko said, "The state that will not succumb to hybrid
pressure can survive. I appeal to the entire world community: There
is no point in shaking Belarus."
Mr. Lukashenko's comments came a day after Belarusian aviation
authorities released a transcript indicating that the Ryanair pilot
repeatedly questioned air-traffic controllers about their request
to reroute the plane to Minsk. The back-and-forth between the
cockpit and ground control suggested the pilots sought clarity on
diverting to Minsk, since the plane was already nearing the
Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, its final destination.
Mr. Lukashenko said that the Ryanair crew consulted with the
owners of the plane and the airport in Vilnius, but decided to land
in Minsk.
Mr. Lukashenko said that a jet fighter dispatched by the Belarus
air force wasn't meant to intimidate the crew.
"Forcing the liner to land by a MiG-29 fighter is an absolute
lie," Mr. Lukashenko said. "The task of the fighter is to provide
communication and take out a passenger plane for landing in case of
a critical situation."
Mr. Lukashenko also said that the purported warning about a bomb
on the plane, which was flying from Athens, came from
Switzerland.
Belarus had earlier said it had received correspondence from
Hamas, the militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, that a bomb
on board was set to detonate over Vilnius. Hamas hasn't responded
to requests for comment.
"Hamas or no Hamas -- it doesn't matter today," Mr. Lukashenko
said. "I acted legally, protecting people, in accordance with all
international rules."
Write to Georgi Kantchev at georgi.kantchev@wsj.com and Ann M.
Simmons at ann.simmons@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 26, 2021 05:53 ET (09:53 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Ryanair (LSE:RYA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Ryanair (LSE:RYA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024