Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 24 April (BelTA) – Belarus should play a more prominent role in regional and international politics. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko gave the relevant instructions in his address to the nation and the parliament on 24 April, BelTA has learned.

The head of state said: “The international community has seen Minsk’s ability to implement significant projects. Raising Belarus’ role in regional and international politics is a common strategic task, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other interested ministries, government agencies, and companies should tackle together.”

In his words, Belarus has managed to find its own niche in the world by becoming a self-dependent regional player. “Global foreign policy initiatives stemming from ideas of security and cooperation — the so-called Helsinki 2 process — have become a logical expression of the consolidated agenda Minsk offers to the international community,” said Alexander Lukashenko. “Yes, you should understand that nobody will eagerly embrace the Helsinki 2 initiative. It has not been put forward by America, China, or even Russia. But all the smart people and professionals have been rooting for this idea for a long time after we put it forward.”

“We should stop the world from sliding into a hot war. It will not be like World War Two,” stressed Alexander Lukashenko.

He remarked that Belarus’ multiple-vector foreign policy remains consistent and predictable. The country will continue building cooperation with various partners, balancing its interests between various poles of power, cultivating new geopolitical pillars and “safety cushions”. “Our cutting-edge experience of presiding over a non-CIS international organization — the Central European Initiative – and the organization of an OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session for the first time in the history of the country confirm it. Our presidency in the Collective Security Treaty Organization was also a success,” said the president.