Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 16 June (BelTA) - Belarus is ready to resume a full-fledged dialogue with the EU on the basis of equality and mutual respect, Belarus Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov said as he met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to Belarus Wolfram Maas in connection with the completion of his diplomatic mission in Belarus, BelTA has learned.

"We are ready to resume a full-fledged dialogue with Germany and the EU on the basis of equality and mutual respect. I am sure that this coincides with the interests of our countries and peoples. The open dialogue, not the language of sanctions, will help find the best solution for the problems that exist in our relations,” said Andrei Kobyakov.

The Belarusian head of government stressed that Germany is traditionally the most important trading and economic partner of Belarus. The Government of Belarus has always paid and will pay very close attention to the development of bilateral relations. "We pay great attention to the ambassadors of the country. We always have very high expectations for them. You are a worthy representative of Germany, an experienced and pragmatic diplomat,” said Andrei Kobyakov. He noted that the launch of the Ambassador’s mission was not easy. It was one of the most difficult periods in the history of bilateral relations. "We appreciate the steps that you have taken to create the conditions for the normalization of interaction between Belarus and Germany," said the Prime Minister.

Belarus attaches great importance to the expansion of bilateral relations in all fields, especially in trade and economy. “The potential of trade and economic cooperation is far from being fulfilled, including because of certain political constraints. Nevertheless, we are interested in German investments and technologies that will enable us to modernize economy, boost competitiveness,” said the Belarusian head of government.

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the independent, economically stable Belarus meets the interests of Germany. "I believe that with the developments in the world over the past year the Europeans started to see Belarus differently. We play an important role as a donor of stability in the region. We hope that this role will allow our partners to take a fresh look at the situation inside Belarus,” said Andrei Kobyakov.

According to him, it makes sense to develop a direct dialogue between the European Union and Eurasian Economic Union. "We have proposed the idea of integration of integrations from Lisbon to Vladivostok. We can see that this idea is perceived with interest,” Andrei Kobyakov noted.

Andrei Kobyakov voiced hope that the consistent constructive position on Belarus and adherence to a policy of equal dialogue will be continued by Wolfram Maas’s successor in the post of German Ambassador in Belarus. "This will help build on the positive things that you created during the work in Belarus. I assure you that you will always be welcome in our country,” he said.

Wolfram Maas thanked Andrei Kobyakov for positive assessment of his diplomatic activity.