Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 21 April (BelTA) – Belarus welcomes its partnership with China and expects an equal dialogue with the West, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said when delivering his State of the Nation Address on 21 April, BelTA has learned.

The comprehensive strategic partnership of Belarus with China plays an important role in the country’s multi-vector foreign policy. A variety of mutually beneficial agreements and projects are on the bilateral agenda, the President said.

When speaking about the relations and dialogue with the West, Alexander Lukashenko underlined that they should be equal. “As for our cooperation with the West, we are interested primarily in investment, technology transfer, creating advanced joint ventures, participation of Belarusian companies in international production chains,” the President noted.

It is essential to avoid creating new dividing lines in Europe. It is important to ensure that the relations between the EU and the EEU are complementary rather than mutually exclusive, Alexander Lukashenko noted. The President recalled that in the history of Belarus there have been many negative events when the country found itself in the epicenter of such divisions. “So for a country that could again find itself on such a dividing line, it is not just political talking,” the head of state noted.