Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 5 October (BelTA) – Belarus must preserve its independence and maintain good relations with both the West and the East, prominent Italian journalist, writer and public figure Giulietto Chiesa said as he attended a meeting of the Open Dialogue Club, BelTA has learned.

“Belarus should maintain good relations with the West and the East. This is the best option that will benefit not only your country but also other states,” Giulietto Chiesa said.

In his view, the situation in the world is unstable, which is especially detrimental to small countries. “The most important thing for you is to preserve the independence and build good political relations with all your neighbors. For Belarus it is important to have independence, internal freedom and continue its peacekeeping efforts,” he said.

Members of the Open Dialogue Club, among whom are representatives of the BRSM Youth Union, famous historians, sociologists, journalists, have meet to discuss the topic “25 years without the Soviet Union: Losses and Gains. View from Europe”. Giulietto Chiesa believes that the collapse of the Soviet Union is a thing of history. But it is directly influencing today's realities. “This is not a question of history. This is a question of today’s life. The Soviet Union disappeared, perhaps because it could no longer exist due to the internal reasons, but not only because of them. But the West took this as its victory,” he believes. “This helped the West to strengthen its influence on the world, but today other world centers are gaining weight on the geopolitical arena,” noted Giulietto Chiesa. For example, the role of China in shaping the international agenda will be growing, the expert believes.

Giulietto Chiesa also spoke out against the policy of sanctions, noting that restrictive measures do not benefit either side.

The idea to set up the Open Dialogue Club as a permanent platform for discussion was put forward at the same-name conference of the BRSM Youth Union. The first meeting of the club took place in early September 2016.