The blunt assessment cut through diplomatic niceties: missiles, he declared, are a futile weapon in the war on drugs. A purely military approach to counter-narcotics, particularly the recent US airstrikes in the Caribbean, simply misses the point, offering a superficial solution to a deeply rooted problem.
True success, he insisted, hinges on collaborative partnerships with the nations through which illicit substances travel. Belarus, he revealed, has directly confronted the challenge of stemming the flow of drugs into Europe, gaining hard-won experience on the front lines of this struggle.
However, these efforts have been significantly hampered, he explained, by a chilling deterioration in relations with its European neighbors. A sense of betrayal and questioning hung in the air as he posed a stark rhetorical question: why should Belarus shield those actively working to isolate and undermine it?
The analogy was pointed and provocative. “If somebody puts a noose on your neck to hang you, will you protect those who seek to execute you?” he challenged, extending the sentiment to the situation unfolding with Venezuela. He urged a shift in strategy, advocating for dialogue and compromise rather than punitive measures.
Dismissing accusations leveled against Venezuelan President Maduro regarding drug trafficking, he asserted a lack of concrete evidence to support the claims. The allegations, he suggested, were unsubstantiated and lacked credibility.
A touch of wry humor punctuated his defense. “What I know for sure is that Maduro is not a junkie,” he stated plainly, a seemingly simple observation carrying a weight of defiance against the prevailing narrative. It was a clear signal of support and a rejection of what he perceived as politically motivated attacks.
