Nyaklyayeu and Sannikau claim to be most promising and unite

Пhe politicians claimed it at a joint press conference. According to Andrei Sannikau, they will cooperate in three main directions.

Andrei Sannikau: “In the first place, we will struggle against rigged elections. It includes monitoring and working with observers. It is agitation and information work – joint actions in favour of one another’s campaigns. And it is international activities, international orientation. Coordination of approaches and positions”.



Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu confessed that the agreement about joining up had not appeared the day before.

Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu: “We discussed it earlier, even before we became potential contenders”.

The meeting of candidates where they tried to work out a joint strategy of “the square” encouraged them to announce their decision.



However, Nyaklyayeu said that they had just wasted their time – they had not reached any agreement. Sannikau noted that they had decided to demonstrate how the most promising candidates could unite.

Andrei Sannikau: “Many people addressed me and Ulazimir Prakopavich: “Let you, two leaders, do something to make the people believe that consolidation is possible, that a victory is possible and that it is possible to vindicate the people’s choice. We were working on the same thing”.
ERB wondered whether the politicians were not afraid of being accused of creation of “a pro-Russian bloc”. Furthermore, both of them are called pro-Russian candidates.

Andrei Sannikau: “I am not afraid. You have to take the real situation into account now. If you hear that Europe supports Lukashenka and Russia supports the opposition and opposes to Lukashenka, you have to take it into account and to welcome it. We are speaking only about Belarus”.

Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu also supported his colleague.

Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu: “If Russia says that it cares about our missing politicians. If Russia says that it cares about the way the election will be conducted. If Russia says that it is ready to send observers instead of drunkards like it used to happen, to send real observers who promise to coordinate their actions with foreign and our observers, why should we pretend not to hear it? The West suddenly claims officially that it will not welcome the victory of democracy but it will welcome the victory of dictatorship, so I am not sure who I should talk to”.

ERB: Do you think that the statement about Lukashenka’s victory ascribed to the Lithuanian President is the intention of the whole European Union?

Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu: "I do not think so and I do not even admit such an idea. Furthermore, this is unofficial information and I do not trust it much. But what if it is true? After all, she met Lukashenka and she could reach some personal agreements. However, such agreements should not be announced officially. I am not inclined to believe the information until it is confirmed officially”.

Andrei Sannikau: "On the other hand, we know that there are Lukashenka’s adherents in Europe and there are those who lobby their interests. We will be guided by those who really support human rights, democracy and the independence of Belarus”.

The politicians refused to describe the technology of their cooperation in detail. They said it was not time to do it. At the same time Sannikau stressed that withdrawal in favour of one another was impossible. However, he added: “Impossible for the time being”.