The latest statements by Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who has refused to recognize his removal from the post of president of Kyrgyzstan, were made with support from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Svetlana Orlova said, deputy speaker of the Russian Federation Council.
"Mr. Lukashenko is again acting out of pique against Russia. He is unlikely to be very concerned about Bakiyev’s fate. He is just taking advantage of this situation to criticize Russia once again," Orlova told Interfax on Thursday.
Orlova said the Belarusian president is driven by "hurt feelings" against Russia, which has made it clear that Belarus is not going to get any more free gas.
"Mr. Lukashenko needs to think about the problems in his own country and its people, not manifest such ardor about Bakiyev and his employment," Orlova said.
Orlova assumed that the Kyrgyz interim government will not force Bakiyev’s handover and he is unlikely to decide to return to Kyrgyzstan on his own accord. "For this reason, all his statements made from Minsk are no more than just talking through his hat. Bakiyev is trying to pretend everything is going fine while it really isn’t," Orlova said.
Vadim Gustov, a member of the Federation Council’s committee on CIS affairs, said the ousted Kyrgyz president will become a president in exile, who will not be recognized by anyone.
At the same time, he said he does not see anything wrong with Bakiyev staying in Belarus under the protection of President Lukashenko. "It’s his [Lukashenko’s] right to protect ousted presidents who are not recognized in their homeland," the senator said.
