Babaryka revealed why he didn't seek support from Russia before the elections. And how they wanted to fire him from Belgazprombank for the slogan "Long Live Belarus!"
Former presidential candidate and ex-banker Viktar Babaryka, in a new episode of TOK, assured that he did not negotiate with anyone in Russia when he ran for president.
Viktar Babaryka. Photo: "Nasha Niva"
On the day Babaryka planned to announce his intention to run for president, he held a conversation with the bank's management.
"I warned my shareholders, I warned the chairman of the board of directors about my decision. I did everything I was supposed to do (...) I said there were two options — to let me go on leave or to fire me."
A pause was taken, which eventually concluded with my resignation by my own will. And after I received the decision that I was being fired, I wrote this post with a clear conscience," Babaryka recounts.
However, he admits that he violated rules and procedures:
"Imagine, you have a manager who is responsible for a fairly effective asset. And without warning, he comes to you and says 'well, sorry, I don't really want to work for you starting today'."
"From my point of view, it's not so much a violation, but not an entirely correct act. (...) It was not a very correct step in relation to the shareholders, because, ideally, time was needed to somehow transfer affairs."
In this regard, he did not really expect that the management of "Gazprom" would somehow protect him. And that's how it turned out.
The 2014 Conflict
At the same time, the former banker claims that his decision was not a big surprise for the board of directors.
As he explains, back in 2014, he had "the biggest problem and the biggest discussion" with the board of directors, which occurred after the banker's speech at the opening of the exhibition "Ten Centuries of Belarusian Art."
"And at that exhibition, I concluded my speech with the slogan 'Long Live Belarus!'" he recalls. "This is 2014, just in case. This is already Crimea. And I am still a Russian manager. This was a very difficult period with rather serious possible consequences and big discussions regarding me both within Belarus and among our shareholders in Russia."
Viktar Babaryka speaking at the opening of the exhibition "Ten Centuries of Belarusian Art." In the background is the then Minister of Culture, Barys Sviatlou.
According to Babaryka, he was then asked to resign:
"I was offered to write a letter of resignation. To which I said that I had no such desire. And if you have a desire to fire me, you can simply do it. (...) I understand that neither I nor my shareholders had such a desire in 2014."
As Babaryka recalls, he explained his action and position as follows:
"I simply said: 'I don't understand why love for Belarus, which in Russian sounds like "Да здравствует Беларусь" (Long Live Belarus), can be perceived as offensive by anyone."
"'Long Live Belarus,' from my point of view, is something that, ideally, does not belong to any person or any political direction. It belongs to people who love their country. 'Long Live Belarus' is simply because I love it and I want it to live."
"To win in 2020, the support of the Belarusian people was enough"
Answering a question about possible attempts to gain support in Russia in 2020, Babaryka stated that he considered it unnecessary.
"I believed — and still believe — that to win in 2020, the support of the Belarusian people was enough. And that's all."
When asked by Nasta Rouda whether it would have been wise to negotiate with Moscow in advance to deprive the current government of external support, Viktar Babaryka replied:
"That would mean that we do not respect our own people. It means that you do not believe in the ability of the Belarusian people to do everything with their own hands. (...) In 2020, I was confident in the strength of the Belarusian people. But the current government did not believe its own people. They didn't believe anyone. No one. That's why they went for support [to Russia]. That's the difference."
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