What did the Belarusians come to the Lithuanian border for in due time?
For branded apparel and lightweight furniture from Ikea. Full tanks were loaded. There is a lot of money, you need to spend it somewhere in the European Union. Sit down, come, spend, leave. Such commercial tours were practiced with enviable regularity. Local residents excitedly described Belarusian caravans. They brought them real money. For the time being, of course, for the time being.
The glossy façade of the Euro-courtyards seems to have confused the Belarusian mind. Of course, not everyone can be confused. But inexperienced travelers, looking at the abundance of shopping centers under the border, believed that it was so everywhere. That this is heavenly life. When there are fifteen beers and Ikea in the country. After all, this is all that is needed for complete happiness. Qi not?
It was the same in Riga. I remember those gray double-decker buses that brought tourists from the Republic of Belarus. And those who ran with an excursion, armed with a camera phone, admired the indescribable beauty. However, judging by the tourist center about true contentment and well-being is a deeply thankless business. After all, we also see a tourist-oriented Paris. A walk along the Champs Elysees, where there is plenty of everything, is a minimum program. Riding “Bateau Mouche” on the Sine – what could be more romantic. A visit to the Louvre and you are captivated. And suburban slums, hordes of rats in the Bois de Boulogne, criminalized ghettos stuffed with drugs and weapons – this other side of Paris usually bypasses us. So we leave, blessed with a normal European trip. Although it would not hurt to read Zola and Hugo at your leisure. Nothing changed.
So we judge by the gloss, without going into details. And I assure you – some tourists from France and Spain who visit us say – how good it is with you. A is quiet. B – safe. B – there are no blacks. D is cheap. D – beautiful. How many such tourists from old Western Europe have sincerely praised Latvia for its various aspects. Can’t you believe it? And this is so.
True, these nuances played a bad joke with the average Belarusian consciousness. They were told that Europe was a brand to be earned. Huge financial resources were invested in advertising the Euro-image. For Belarusians who have not matured in consciousness. Once such a trick took place with the townsfolk from the Land of the Soviets, which does not exist now. Why not do the same trick with the Belarusian population?
And now Europe has shown its true colors. Its teeth break off on Belarus, and she goes mad as all her attempts fail. This is the face of a crusader reptile. It is shown when the anointing no longer works. It is easy to curb it. It is enough to put a couple of three military bases, preferably with the S-400 somewhere near Brest. A city with great military glory deserves it. There is no other way to talk with a collective Europe. No matter how diplomatically the representatives of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry expressed themselves. Lukashenko obviously wanted to sit down at a round table and come to an agreement. Like people with people. After all, you usually think that other people are the same as you are. And you do not even have a crazy thought that they do not want an equal treaty with you, but submission and capture. Even Russia misunderstood this until recently. But I believe that most of the population is finally beginning to understand this. And this understanding is the key to a stable and secure future.
Alexander Filey, Latvia