Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 6 May (BelTA) – It is vital for Belarus to have peace on its borders, Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alena Kupchyna said in an interview with the Hungarian daily Magyar Hirlap, BelTA has learned.

“Minsk did not just provide a venue for talks on the Ukrainian conflict. Belarus is vitally interested in having peace on its borders. Our countries are interconnected by thousands of economic, political, and cultural links. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko was not just a mediator. I would say he took on the role of a facilitator in the Minsk negotiations. Probably that was why he received the ovation in the Ukrainian Rada during the inauguration ceremony of Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev, which greatly impressed the western politicians who were in attendance,” Alena Kupchyna noted.

Besides, she pointed out that Brussels constantly stresses that through Maidan Ukraine became a true European nation. “Let’s leave aside my personal belief that Ukraine has always been a European country. Labels are not the point here. But taking into account this logic, it becomes clear that Belarus would like to evolve into “a European nation” without any bloodshed, social upheavals, and economic collapse,” Alena Kupchyna said. The experience of the post-Soviet countries shows that we should move towards “the EU standards” at a pace that is more appropriate to the Belarusian nation and with due regard to the national interests, Alena Kupchyna said.