Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 12 February (BelTA) – It takes years to address the issues of war and peace; however, the participants of the talks in Minsk managed to reach consensus within 15 hours, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said when commenting on the results of the Normandy format meeting in Minsk, BelTA has learned.

“They (leaders of the “Normandy four” – BelTA’s note) did a good job. They have survived this marathon, but please do not exaggerate the fact that these negotiations have lasted for such a long time. It takes months or even years to wrestle with the issues of war and peace, while the participants of the talks in Minsk managed to reach the ceasefire agreement within just 15 hours. It is very good!” Alexander Lukashenko said.

At the same time, the President of Belarus stressed that the sides still have to do the main thing. It is essential to bring all the agreements to life.

Speaking about the reasons for holding the talks behind the closed doors, Alexander Lukashenko noted that there are no other formats for handling such issues. “It is quite normal when outstanding issues are discussed behind the closed doors,” the head of state said.