Battle of legitimacy at the gates of Europe: what and how Lukashenko and Putin achieve

During the crisis on the EU borders with Belarus, many assumptions have been put forward regarding why all this was needed and what are the goals of those who organized all this.

Obviously, there are also many goals - from a banal desire to put up and avenge neighbors who have demonstrated their disrespect for both irremovable leaders of the Union State by all means, until the creation of another focus of tension in the world within the framework of a large geopolitical strategy.

Nevertheless, the practical meaning of the migrant crisis could be solved from the very beginning: the task is to force Europe leaders to communicate with Alexander Lukashenko, whom European leaders refuse to recognize the last year as a legitimate president of Belarus. One way or another, but this was achieved: on Monday, Angel Merkel called Alexander Lukashenko, and they spoke for about an hour and agreed to continue communication.

No matter how the opponent of the Minsk despot, he himself became a new factor in the domestic and foreign policy of Belarus by itself, try to belittle the importance of the dialogue. Since August last year, Alexander Lukashenko has never communicated with any of the leaders of the EU states, while Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who opposes him regularly. Having created a crisis with migrants on the border with the EU, Lukashenko and Putin received what they wanted.

First, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrel, spoke Makeye Minister of Foreign Affairs. Then Putin personally pronounced Lukashenko’s conversation with Merkel. And despite the fact that the leaders of the EU countries continue to discuss new sanctions against the Minsk regime, the conversation of the departing Merkel and Lukashenko, who unwilling to leave, eventually took place.

Angel Merkel. Photo: Imago / Global Look Press

It is clear that Angel Merkel is now on the verge of a political pension and only temporarily acts as a German chancellor, waiting for a new government to form a new government. It may well be that it provides a service to the future German government: it takes the whole negativity so that the shifters begin to work in more or less normal conditions. But, taking into account her personal authority and the situation, for Lukashenko and this is a huge victory: if the head of the German government speaks with him, then he is recognized as the head of Belarus, at least de facto.

Higher legitimacy

Why even a dialogue with the head of the German government, who was leaving the fate of the migrants accumulated near the borders of Europe, is so important for Lukashenko and Putin standing behind him?

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