Lukashenko says he did not recognize Abkhazia to avoid international isolation of Belarus

President of Belarus Alexandre Lukashenko says he did not recognize the independence of Abkhazia in order to avoid the possible isolation of Belarus.

“I was ready to sign a decree on recognizing Abkhazia. But what will happen tomorrow? Javier Solana, NATO’s former secretary general, arrive here. We had a long conversation, he told me : “If you recognize Abkhazia, we will disconnect you from the banking system, you will appear in full isolation and etc. He told me everything honestly and frankly, "Lukashenko told reporters on March 1.

The President of Belarus noted that after the meeting with Javier Solana, he met with then President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and at the meeting he touched upon this issue, however, Medvedev did not appear ready to discuss this topic.