Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 13 October (BelTA) – State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota welcomes the EU decision to suspend sanctions against Belarus for four months. The official made the statement as he talked to the media ahead of the second Austrian-Belarusian-Russian Business Forum in Minsk on 13 October, BelTA informs.

“Positive news [decision to suspend sanctions]. I personally do not believe in such an instrument of interstate relations as sanctions. Especially when there are unaddressed issues and the parties do not use all the methods to regulate them in a peaceful manner. Sanctions are not the best path to go,” noted Grigory Rapota.

In his words, Belarus’ development continued even under the sanctions. “There were sanctions against Iran as well. Russia has always been against it. Iran was sustainably developing. That means sanctions are a very disputable instrument. There should be other methods of influence, if necessary, but only in an agreement with the UN and other international organizations. Local unilateral sanctions are inefficient and, I would say, harmful,” he added.

The second Austrian-Belarusian-Russian Business Forum has been organized by the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. The forum will feature a plenary session and three workshops: Energy, Infrastructure and Logistics, Agriculture and Food Products, and EU-EEU: Cooperation Prospects for Business Associations Within European and Eurasian Integration Processes. The program of the forum will also include talks between businessmen of Austria, Belarus and Russia.