Leanid Zaydes
“We tried to come to terms and find a solution that would be beneficial to society,” he said . “We were ready to sit down at a round table and hold talks about this with people who took responsibility for protests near the restaurant and all actions, including illegal ones, that protesters undertook this period.”
“It was so until we saw that it was not important for the protesters to find a solution to the issue,” Mr. Zaydes said. “It appears that the process itself and the creation of a scandal out of the Kurapaty issue are the most important thing for them.”
When an agreement was in fact reached on talks with protesters, “certain forces tried to escalate the conflict,” Mr. Zaydes said. “Apart from this, they began to speak to me in the language of ultimatums, personal threats and blackmail. But everybody knows that no one in the world holds talks with blackmailers. That is why there will no longer be contacts with people who are deliberately fomenting this conflict and are not seeking a solution.”
The closure of the establishment is out of the question, Mr. Zaydes stressed. “This is a business in which large funds have been invested,” he said. “We have created 80 new jobs in the Minsk district. This is one of the few establishments along the Minsk Beltway. And we have a lot of visitors, no matter what our opponents say to the contrary, even though some visitors have to force their way through [protesters’] lines to get into the restaurant compound.”
The proposal to transfer the restaurant to a different place is absurd, primarily from a technical standpoint, Mr. Zaydes noted.
He threatened to sue the people “who sling mud at me, staff and visitors, throw themselves under cars and try to put pressure on our partners.”
He pointed out that the owners of the restaurant have all necessary documents to prove that the location of the restaurant is fully legal, and that the restaurant is located outside the established boundaries of the protected Kurapaty area.
“As for the moral aspect, each person has the right to have an opinion on this subject,” Mr. Zaydes said. “My position, and the position of my companions, is that firstly, the Poyedem Poyedim restaurant is a family friendly restaurant, not a restaurant and entertainment complex. I would like to emphasize this. I am sure that many of you described our restaurant as a recreational facility in your stories. This is not correct. It is sad that people think that if there is a children’s playground and a trampoline, then this is a recreational facility. I want to believe it was a misunderstanding rather than a malicious intent to shape public opinion.”
Mr. Zaydes stressed that the owners of the restaurant are ready for cooperation with all “sober-minded activists, non-governmental organizations and political parties that aim to find a solution to the issue, and that they are ready to take part in the establishment of a memorial at Kurapaty.
After reading out the statement, Mr. Zaydes said that he would not take questions because, as he said, there are other owners. He suggested that reporters should send their questions by email.
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