Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) – Belarus is ready to pass its part of the road towards the lifting of the EU sanctions, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said at the opening of the Austrian Embassy in Belarus on 9 February, BelTA has learned.

The minister stressed that “the road towards the normalization of relations implies the steps that should be made by all parties. We are ready to walk our part of the road.”

He noted that the matter was discussed during the meeting with the political directors of the foreign ministries of several countries. It is expected that the negotiations will be continued the next day. "We really want to find common ground through dialogue and establish normal cooperation between Belarus and the European Union," Vladimir Makei stressed.

"Sanctions are not a way to build cooperation in interstate relations," he said. According to Vladimir Makei, Belarus would like to build normal trade, economic, political, humanitarian and other kinds of relations with the European Union and individual EU countries. “Sanctions are only an obstacle to this,” the minister said.