Opinions & Interviews

Ambassador: Belarus, Italy restarting political relations

MINSK, 29 May (BelTA) – Belarus and Italy are in the process of restarting political relations, Italian Ambassador to Belarus Mario Giorgio Stefano Baldi told the media, BelTA has learned.

“Belarus and Italy are in the process of restarting political relations. In February, Belarus Prime Minister Sergei Rumas visited Rome with a government delegation. On 25 June Rome will host a session of the intergovernmental economic commission. Political relations are evolving. The dialogue between our two countries continues, both bilaterally and within the framework of the European Union, the OSCE,” the Ambassador noted.

The diplomat stressed that Italy advocates the development of the dialogue between Belarus and the European Union. “We are in favor of strengthening the relations between Belarus and the EU. The more dialogue we have, the more EU citizens come to Belarus and vice versa, the more opportunities we will have to grow,” the diplomat said. He expressed the hope that Belarus and the European Union will sign the visa facilitation agreement soon to make the EU visa application process for Belarusian citizens simpler and cheaper.

“Belarus is an ally of the EU in the fight against organized crime, illegal migration, terrorism, Islamic fundamentalism. In all these aspects Belarus is part of the solution, never the problem. This should be a crucial factor shaping the EU policy towards Belarus. We should not be held back by our misgivings, but move on building a better future for our youth,” the diplomat said.

In his words, the bilateral partnership is based on robust humanitarian ties that the two countries have developed in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster. “Over more than 30 years since the accident, some 500,000 Belarusian children have visited Italy for recuperation holidays. Many of them have already grown up to become businessmen, artists, politicians, take up other professions. They still keep warm memories of Italy and help develop relations between the countries. These relations are the foundation of our bilateral partnership. They do not depend on the change of the government, the trade volume or any other factor,” Mario Giorgio Stefano Baldi said.

One of the examples of international cooperation in the humanitarian sector is the 2nd European Games which are due in Belarus in June 2019. Mario Giorgio Stefano Baldi will be among the Flame of Peace torchbearers. On 24 June, Italy Day in the fan zone will feature a street theater, a folk band from Toscana, and a photo exhibition about Italy.

According to the diplomat, it is an honor for Belarus to host the competitions of such scale. “Thanks to the international mass media that will come to cover the event the world will learn that Belarus is a rapidly developing, modern European country,” he said.

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