Rivlin congratulates authoritarian leader of Belarus on its independence day
Israeli president apparently one of few Western leaders to send letter to Lukashenko, who ordered major crackdown after election seen as rigged, arrested dissident journalist
President Reuven Rivlin sent a letter to his Belarusian counterpart Aleksander Lukashenko to mark Belarus’s independence day on Saturday, apparently making him one of the only Western heads of state to congratulate the authoritarian leader who is widely seen as a dictator.
In the letter, Rivlin congratulated “Your Excellency” Lukashenko and the people of Belarus on the occasion of the holiday, which marks Soviet forces’ liberation of the capital Minsk from Nazi German occupation in 1944.
“I send our good wishes for your personal well-being and for the ongoing progress and prosperity of your country and people,” Rivlin wrote in the letter.
Rivlin touted the “long shared history” between the two nations and noted prominent Israeli leaders born in what is today Belarus, among them Israel’s first president Chaim Weizmann and former prime ministers Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir.
“The community of former Belarus citizens in Israel serve as a human bridge strengthening the relations between our countries,” the president said.
Rivlin added: “Again, allow me to send our greetings to all the people of Belarus on this auspicious occasion and to wish you good health and success in overcoming the health and economic challenges of this past year.”
שנה של דיכוי מזעזע של זכויות האדם בבלרוס, לא מנעה מנשיא המדינה @PresidentRuvi לפרסם הודעה המברכת את הנשיא לוקשנקו לרגל יום העצמאות שחל אתמול. מבית הנשיא נמסר לשעה הבינלאומית כי האגרת שוגרה על פי הנוהל הנהוג במשרד החוץ בימים לאומיים של מדינות עימן יש קשרים דיפלומטיים. תודה @SBogus pic.twitter.com/54dBTM2Ksp
— ????️???? ערן סיקורל |Eran Cicurel |عيران شيكوريل (@EranCicurel) July 4, 2021
Rivlin’s office said in response to social media criticism that the letter was sent in accordance with Foreign Ministry protocol for the national day of any country that Israel has diplomatic ties with. The two countries established official relations in 1992 after Belarus gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Besides Rivlin, the Kan public broadcaster said, Lukashenko also received congratulations from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Pope Francis and the leaders of Russia, China, Serbia, Turkey, Iran, Cuba, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Nicaragua and the Palestinian Authority, along with others.
Belarus has been shaken by protests fueled by Lukashenko’s reelection to a sixth term in an August 2020 election that was widely seen as rigged. Authorities responded to the demonstrations with a massive crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police.
Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for 27 years, has repeatedly accused the West of fomenting the protests and harboring plots to oust him.
On Friday, Lukashenko claimed his government thwarted a series of purported Western-backed plots, following a set of new bruising sanctions the EU slapped on Belarus over an incident last month in which fighter planes forced a passenger jet to land in the country to arrest a dissident journalist.
The recent sanctions target the country’s top export items, including potash — a common fertilizer ingredient, petroleum products and tobacco industry exports.
The Times of Israel Community.