29 August, Minsk /Vladimir Matveev - BELTA/. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko proposes to discuss the situation in Belarus at a round table with political opponents and representatives of the European Union and Russia. He stated this while delivering a report at a meeting of the country's teaching staff, according to a BELTA correspondent. "Our strength is in unity, and the future of Belarus should be decided not in squares and barricades, but through dialogue, a normal human conversation," the Belarusian leader noted. "As head of state, I propose that all reasonable people who love their country, regardless of their political affiliation, sit down at the table (round, square), look each other in the eye and realistically assess who is worth what and what they can do to effectively improve the situation in the country, rather than stomping and shouting in the squares," Alexander Lukashenko proposed. "If you want to fight and struggle, please do so: fight in an open discussion, prove your point, defend your point of view. But not through riots and not with weapons in hand. Such actions will be suppressed immediately, as was recently the case in the strongholds of democracy." "I have proposed, and would like to propose to the European Union, Russia, and other European and international structures to send their representatives to participate in this round table. Let them also see who is worth what here, what ideas they put forward and what goals they set for themselves. We are absolutely open and ready to give them such an opportunity," the head of state stated. He also emphasized that the path through sanctions and pressure on Belarus is unpromising. "Let's talk, let's have a dialogue, and we will definitely reach some understanding," Alexander Lukashenko added. -0-

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