Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 28 May (BelTA) – Latvia appreciates Belarus’ constructive stance on the crisis in Ukraine, BelTA learned from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to Belarus Mihails Popkovs during the conference held on 28 May to discuss results of the Riga summit of the Eastern Partnership Initiative.

“Our country appreciates the constructive stance of Belarus with regard to the Ukrainian crisis and believes that all the opportunities are available for the constructive development of Belarusian-Latvian relations,” said the Ambassador. He remarked that only the fulfillment of the Minsk accords will secure the stabilization of the situation in Ukraine.

Apart from that, Mihails Popkovs remarked: “The Riga summit demonstrated that we are moving towards ever increasing mobility and encourage reforms and human contacts.” In his words, the invigoration of relations between the European Union and Belarus testifies to the stable advancement. “It is up to Belarus to further develop cooperation with the European Union. We are open and ready for cooperation based on mutual understanding while adhering to European values,” he added.

The Latvian diplomat also pointed out that the range of opinions about the Riga summit and the Eastern Partnership Initiative is rather broad. There are both negative and positive views. Latvia’s presidency in the European Union, during which the Riga summit was held, happened in a rather complicated period: an armed conflict proceeds in Ukraine, the economy growth is slowed down in the European Union, and so on.