Its better to be a dictator than gay

As he marks 25 years in office, here are some key facts about Alexander Lukashenko. The mercurial Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko lashed out on Sunday at recent sanctions imposed by Europe over his rights record by saying he would rather be branded a dictator than be gay. Lukashenko said in impromptu remarks at a mass ski event that the foreign ministers of Poland and Germany, who had spearheaded the diplomatic offensive against his government, were outsiders who deserved public scorn. Having heard that, I thought to myself: better to be a dictator than gay.

Belarussia's Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday criticized EU politicians who have threatened him with further sanctions and in an apparent riposte to the German Foreign Minister's branding him. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has criticized EU politicians who have threatened further sanctions against the country, with an apparent reposte to German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. In his comments, delivered while attending a ski event, Lukashenko condemned both Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and Westerwelle for spearheading a diplomatic offensive against Minsk. He also delivered a personal broadside against Westerwelle, Berlin's first openly gay minister.

BERLIN -- Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian president of Belarus, on Sunday criticized EU politicians who have threatened him with sanctions and in an apparent riposte to the German foreign. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Monday dismissed a comment about his homosexuality by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who had said: "Better to be a dictator than gay. Westerwelle, who last week described Lukashenko as "Europe's last dictator," said on Monday: "This statement condemns itself. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Lukaschenko's comment "shows very clearly the position that the Belarus president takes in relation to basic rights.

Lukashenko, notorious for his highly conservative values, upbraided Berlin in turn by reminding Westerwelle of Germany’s Nazi past saying it was better to be a dictator than to be gay. “Our ‘dictatorship’ does not prevent anyone from living and developing.”. Mr Lukashenko has been in power for nearly two decades. The German government has said a remark by the president of Belarus that he would rather be a dictator than gay says more about him than anything else. Mr Westerwelle complained of human rights abuses in Belarus last week, calling Mr Lukashenko's government "the last dictatorship in Europe''.

As he marks 25 years in office, here are some key facts about Alexander Lukashenko. .

Belarussia's Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday criticized EU politicians who have threatened him with further sanctions and in an apparent riposte to the German Foreign Minister's branding him. .

BERLIN -- Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian president of Belarus, on Sunday criticized EU politicians who have threatened him with sanctions and in an apparent riposte to the German foreign. .

“They call me a dictator, but I say: it’s better to be a dictator than to live against nature,” Lukashenko declared, according to the state-run news agency Belta. His remarks were widely interpreted as a jab at LGBTQ+ rights advocates in Europe, a recurring theme in his speeches. .