Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 13 February (BelTA) – There is no real alternative to Minsk as the negotiating venue for the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine today, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting of Belarus’ Security Council, BelTA has learned.

“We are still concerned over the situation in the neighboring country. Belarus continues to host regular meetings of the trilateral contact group. 2017 saw nearly 30 such meetings. I believe that despite the various and quite unexpected statements (unexpected for the public maybe but I totally expected such statements coming), there is no real alternative to this negotiating venue today,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

According to the president, the world failed to resolve any of the ongoing armed conflicts last year. Moreover, new hotspots of tension have emerged, while the political confrontation between the states and coalitions gets formalized in the national strategies.

“Along with the continuing armed conflicts and the arms race, we see other sophisticated forms of international pressure actively used in the world. Among them are all kinds of sanctions, blackmailing, economic strangulation, information operations. The mechanisms for maintaining international security almost do not work. In these conditions, the allied relations of our country are acquiring special significance,” the head of state stated.