Budrys said in an interview to the public radio LRT on Thursday that this kind of propaganda is primarily aimed at Belarusians to convince them that Belarus is allegedly an open state that wants to coexist in peace with all other countries and does not wish bad to anyone, while other countries are allegedly hostile towards Belarus.
“These are complete lies. This country contributes to military aggression, participates in military aggression against Ukraine and organises various attacks against us by pushing people [migrants] through the border. This is a hostile country and everything coming out from there should be considered to be yet another deception or propaganda,” said Budrys.
The president’s adviser did not rule out that some individuals might be tempted to obtain different citizenship and leave the country. However, he said the timing to apply for Belarusian citizenship would be odd now and people should give a moral and ethical evaluation of what the neighbouring country is doing because it is an aggressor country contributing to Russia’s crimes against humanity.
Belarusian politician Oleg Gaidukevich recently suggested that citizenship procedures should be simplified for Lithuanians, Latvians and Poles. Whereas Lukashenko in turn promised to do everything he could so that citizens of neighbouring countries would be granted Belarusian citizenship.
