The following is an official statement published by the Liberland Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Recently, a group calling itself “Anonymous Liberland and the Pwn-Bär Hack Team” announced it released an email dump from the files of a weapons firm in Belarus. The Republic of Liberland has no knowledge of any individuals involved with this action and disavows any association with it.
In war, no one really wins. Human and economic costs always outweigh whatever perceived advantages come from waging war.
We understand the tension and angst felt by the people of the Ukraine and those in areas affected by recent hostilities. Many Liberland citizens and supporters live in Ukraine and Russia with some living in combat zones.
Our foreign policy is based on strict neutrality and the non-aggression principle. This means peace, freedom to trade and honest friendship with all nations, as Thomas Jefferson eloquently said. Liberland was founded on April 13, 2015 for a reason – it was Jefferson’s 272nd birthday.
This sentiment is reflected in the international nature of our community as we prepare to embark on our Danube River cruise from March 25-28 and our anniversary celebration on April 13.
The task is now to de-escalate hostilities and avert tragedy. We call on all participants in the conflict to go back to the negotiating table, tone down the provocative rhetoric and communicate their needs away from the fog of propaganda. We implore the parties to reimagine the whole region as a place where free countries prosper in perpetual peace with their neighbors – and move towards that as a reality.
Liberland offers itself as a neutral ground for negotiations and is always ready to provide humanitarian help. Liberland has offered to take in a limited number of refugees from Ukraine at our Ark Village near Apatin, Serbia. Some suppliers of construction materials are based in Russia, and we have no plans to change that. We understand that the people of a country are not responsible for the actions of its government or its military. We also believe in the profound quote attributed to Frederic Bastiat: “When goods don’t cross borders, soldiers will.”
It is the people who benefit from peace and prosperity and get hurt by conflicts. Too much blood has been spilled already. We in Liberland wish that all the parties of this dispute may remember this basic truth as they consider their next moves.