Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 19 January (BelTA) – Unlike others, Belarus does not pursue peacekeeping laurels, Belarus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei told the media, BelTA has learned.

“Let me remind you that Belarus did not suggest to host the talks on Ukraine. It was the heads of the Normandy Four states who addressed President Alexander Lukashenko with a request to host the participants of the meetings on the Ukrainian conflict. Unlike others, Belarus does not pursue the laurels of a peacekeeper. But this is the conflict in our family, in our region and we are sincerely interested in its settlement,” the minister said.

“We are not participants in the negotiations, but the President of the Republic of Belarus has repeatedly proposed various options to resolve the crisis, including sending Belarusian peacekeepers to control the Ukrainian-Russian border and the line of contact,” the minister noted.

According to him, hardly anything depends on the venue of the talks. “You can move the talks on Ukraine even to Antarctica if you believe they will be a success. But for this to happen all parties involved in this conflict, as well as the states that are allegedly third parties but that have a very strong interest should be sincerely aimed at ending the bloodshed,” Vladimir Makei said.

As it was reported, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev suggested a possibility of finding an alternative venue for the talks to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.