Depardieu sells all the property and goes to Belarus

Alexander Lukashenko met with a famous French actor and restaurateur Gerard Depardieu on July 22 2015.
Photo: president.gov.by

French actor, restaurateur and businessman Gerard Depardieu after the sale of property can go to Belarus, which he praised after the recent Visit.

The actor told about his plans in an interview Le Figaro TV Magazine. “I think I’ll sell everything in France! I don't want to be part of this country anymore, even though I love the French. In addition to journalists in the service of the government,” publishes RIA News" translation of the words Depardieu.

In addition, the actor said that he currently lives in Italy, but is going to go to Belarus again and live there. “Among the peasants, because it’s beautiful there, and the president is a good person,” Depardieu explained the choice of place to live. At the same time, the actor hinted that the Eastern European republic would not become his permanent place of residence. “I travel everywhere, which is good. I don’t stay anywhere,” the publication’s interlocutor noted.

Depardieu visited Belarus on July 21-22. The actor, who is involved in the restaurant and agricultural business, admitted that it was not only his creativity that brought him to the republic, but also his interest in agriculture. In addition, in Minsk, Depradieu was supposed to discuss the work on creating a joint French-Russian-Belarusian film with the working title “Normandie - Neman”. During the visit, the actor visited Lukashenko’s residence and also mowed the grass with the president.

Having visited Belarus, Depardieu began to praise the country and its leadership. The actor called the republic “little Switzerland” and spoke approvingly of the tax on parasitism introduced by Lukashenko. Depardieu called France “a country of dependents.”

In 2012, the French actor, outraged by the French government's plans to increase the “tax on the rich” to 75%, announced his intention to renounce French citizenship. Russian President Vladimir Putin granted the actor Russian citizenship in early 2013. After Putin signed a decree granting him a Russian passport, he was registered in the capital of Mordovia, Saransk.

In April, the press reported that Depardieu sold all real estate in Russia - a five-room apartment worth 15 million rubles in Grozny and an apartment in the Saransk new building - and moved to Belgium. At the same time, the producer of the artist Arnaud Frille assured that Depardieu does not intend to renounce his Russian citizenship.

Depardieu is blacklisted in Kiev and deprived the right to visit Ukraine for five years for "anti-Ukrainian statements." The Ministry of Culture of the country explained that this measure is not related to films with the participation of the famous actor.

The reason for the ban was the statement of the actor that he considers Ukraine to be part of Russia and the words about respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the same time, having already received Russian citizenship, Depardieu came to France, confessed his love for his native country, and called his departure to Russia a big misunderstanding.