Belarus's leader Alexander Lukashenko defended his isolated country's human rights during a visit to Austria Tuesday, as he seeks closer ties with the European Union amid tensions with Russia.
On his first trip to an EU member in more than three years, Lukashenko met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen. Austria's then chancellor Sebastian Kurz visited Belarus in March.
Often described by its critics in the West as "Europe's last dictatorship", Belarus has been the target of Western sanctions over its poor rights record and lack of fair elections. The 65-year-old Lukashenko has rarely travelled to other European countries.
However in recent years the West and Belarus have sought to improve ties as the Kremlin has pushed for a closer relationship between Moscow and Minsk.
Lukashenko said his country was "wedged in like in a pair of pliers" between East and West.
"Despite this we are doing sometimes very well," Lukashenko told reporters during a joint press conference with Van der Bellen.
Asked about his country's human rights record, he said: "It is a country where one can relax in peace and security."
"To survive we have used various methods, but no one can say that these were not democratic or hurt the people of Belarus," he added. Reporters Without Borders ranks Belarus 153rd out of 180 countries in its world press freedom index, and it is still not part of the Council of Europe, the continent's leading rights body.
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