Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 22 May (BelTA) - Belarus hopes that in the near future Belarus and the European Union will be able to register a new quality and level of our relations, Belarus Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said when speaking at the plenary session of the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga on 22 May, BelTA learned from the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.

“The Eastern Partnership has been instrumental in revitalizing, to some extent, the dialogue and interaction between Belarus and the EU. Since Vilnius summit, we have achieved some progress in our relations and have engaged in a number of new tracks, including consultations on modernization issues and negotiations on visa facilitation and readmission agreements. These very days we have concluded the Cooperation Arrangement on an Early Warning Mechanism in the field of energy. We are looking forward to the establishment of the Partnership for Mobility. Still, the potential of our cooperation remains largely untapped,” the minister said.

According to him, there is a need to overcome, through an open dialogue, the existing difficulties in the relations. “We have already lost too much time, and there are a growing number of challenges that we need to address together. We hope that in the near future we would be able to register a new quality and level of our relations – without sanctions and restrictions, as they contradict the very notion of a true partnership. I do firmly believe that this is in the interest of both Belarus and the EU, in the interest of our citizens and also in the interest of the regional security and Wider, united Europe,” Vladimir Makei stressed.