Belarusian president criticizes inaction within CIS ranks

The informal CIS summit has finished in Kazakhstan. The sides have discussed CIS affairs in general as well as the domestic political situation in certain CIS states.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has summed up the summit on his leaving Almaty airport.

Lukashenko - The impression is a good one. We need such meetings more often. If we continue our talks at the next CIS summit or discussions in Chisinau [changes tack]. And these talk has been rather tough and very tough, we even went as far as to say: if we need the CIS, let us preserve it. If we do not intend to do so, why bother ourselves and each other? It cannot keep going as it is. There are hot spots all around us. Look, Afghanistan and other places.

We have failed to do away with conflicts within the CIS. Look, except for Belarus, which remains the only safe haven, there is Moldova, the Dnestr region and other domestic issues, Crimea, western Ukraine in Ukraine, and the [Ukrainian president] has admitted that [as heard]. The Central Asian republics: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan in terms of the anti-terrorist operation in Kazakhstan [as heard]. Armenia and Georgia, which have recently stirred up public opinion.

The arrival of Americans and you even heard Shevardnadze openly speaking about it yesterday: yes we have invited them, yes, they have trained our border troops, yes, they have been financing us, yes, more US troops are to come. The situation is grave everywhere.

We lack action in solving these issues. So, the question to be or not to be has arisen.