‘A land of opportunity’ for everyone – Lukashenko to RT’s Rick Sanchez on Belarus’ future (VIDEO)

The “peaceful, safe country” should remain a place where anyone can realize their potential, the Belarusian leader has said

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has told RT’s Rick Sanchez that he wants his country “to remain a land of opportunity.”

When asked what would follow his eventual resignation, Lukashenko, 71, said that he hopes that Belarus will remain safe and stable.

“I’ve done a lot to make Belarus what it is today… You said it’s a decent country, that people live good lives here. A peaceful, safe country,” he said.

“Naturally, I want to see that preserved. I want it to remain a land of opportunity, where anyone can realize themselves. In that sense, we’ve succeeded.”

Choosing his successor will be up to “the people of Belarus,” Lukashenko told Sanchez when asked whether equal opportunities would be afforded to anyone vying for the position. “However they choose, that’s how it will be.”

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“I remember my first election – I got the people’s mandate,” the Belarusian leader said.

Lukashenko was first elected in 1994, during the turbulent period following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

“That was a very different time, there was vote rigging, even violence. And I still got 80.3%. I remember it well. The people stood by me, very strongly,” he said.

“I believe that long before I pass on… there will be a capable new person leading Belarus. We’ve got plenty of smart, talented people.”

Watch the full interview on RT on Monday at 8:30 AM Moscow time (6:30 AM GMT).