Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko
on Friday ruled out legalizing gay marriage in Belarus under his
administration.
“We should not be forced to introduce
same-sex marriages. This will not happen in the near future. That
is for sure, when I am the president,” Lukashenko is quoted as
saying by RIA
Novosti.
“Our people will not accept this. …
Wait a little,” he added during his state-of-the-nation address to
the people of Belarus and the parliament.
Last month, Lukashenko lashed out at
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle after the European Union
(EU) withdrew their ambassadors from Minsk over Lukashenko's human
rights record.
“It is intolerable for us as
Europeans to see human rights and citizens' rights in Belarus thus
violated,” the openly gay Westerwelle said. “This is the last
dictatorship in Europe.”
Lukashenko responded without naming
Westerwelle.
“It's absolute hysteria,”
Lukashenko said. “When I heard him – whoever he is, gay or
lesbian – talking about dictatorship, I thought – it's better to
be a dictator than gay.”
The 57-year-old Lukashenko has
controlled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994.