Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 6 December (BelTA) - Minsk has showed it can make a contribution to the stability and security in Europe, Marshal of the Senate of Poland Stanislaw Karczewski said in an interview with the SB. Belarus Today newspaper.

“Minsk has recently showed its capacity to make a contribution to securing stability and security in this part of Europe. I regret that not all the Minsk agreements regarding the conflict in Ukraine have been so far fulfilled. I am confident, however, that there would have been much worse without these agreements,” Stanislaw Karczewski said.

In his words, Belarus demonstrates a certain model for the meeting of cultures of the East and the West which can be implemented in harmony and peace. “Belarus needs to take advantage of it in its international and regional activity,” the Marshal of the Senate added.

When asked on his opinion regarding the integration of integrations idea, he said that he considers cooperation and integration as values. “The EU has so far followed the principle of as much integration as possible. In the present-day conditions, however, it is important to be flexible. I prefer the following approach: to cooperate where it is possible and beneficial. I do not, however, view this matter as dogma. People are what is most important, and as far as I know, this is what is often repeated by President Alexander Lukashenko. This approach appeals to me as well,” Stanislaw Karczewski said.

According to Stanislaw Karczewski, the two countries need successful stories that will show that bilateral meetings are not just contacts and visits, but real benefits for the two nations. “The major point on the agenda of my visit to Minsk is the Council of the Republic’s ratification of the agreement on cooperation in education, signed in summer 2016. The agreement will open up new opportunities for the both sides. For example, the agreement will regulate the arrival of Polish teachers to Belarus and will provide a chance for youth exchanges between our countries and strengthen inter-university cooperation. We are also mulling over joint economic projects,” he said.

The Marshal of the Senate added that economy is the basis of any integration today. “A few joint successful business projects will make our nations much closer to each other than a hundred of words will do. This is the logic of modern international relations,” he concluded.