Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 24 May (BelTA) - Europe can and should take the lead in resolving issues between East and West, Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko said at the international forum “Eastern Europe: In Search of Security for All” on 24 May, BelTA has learned.

“If the great powers cannot come to an agreement today, this does not mean all other countries should sit and wait for their instructions. I am convinced that Europe can and should take the lead in resolving issues between East and West and become a place to regulate pressing problems, first of all, such as the Ukrainian crisis,” the head of state said.

According to the president, it is obvious that many of the old recipes for global and regional governance, settlement of conflicts and natural contradictions are not suitable any more. “They often fail to work and the new ones have not been developed yet. Unfortunately, in this situation, the world players are not ready to stop the spiral of confrontation, are not ready to make compromises. We can see that no international problem is resolved,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

He cited a number of examples, including the Middle East, Syria, and Ukraine. The situation around North Korea is tense as well. “The dangerous knot around the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program has been tightening once again. It is important that not only Russia, our ally, but also the European Union sees a threat to security in the region in connection with the violation of the current agreements,” the head of state said.

“Belarus, and many countries of Central and Eastern Europe, whose representatives are present here, are facing the prospect of finding themselves on the fault line of civilization. I am sure that such a prospect facing the aforementioned countries is unacceptable. Already apparent is the interrelation between the seemingly distant conflicts in other regions of the world and illegal migration, as well as the threat of terrorism in Europe. Security has grown from the abstract concept into a concrete, tangible phenomenon. Its absence can affect anyone of us,” the Belarusian leader noted.