Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 5 May (BelTA) – The political elites of Europe and the United States have discovered a new Belarus on the back of the ongoing international conflicts, Belarus’ Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Valentin Rybakov said at the international conference, Understanding Belarus Security, held on 5 May as part of the non-government expert initiative Minsk Dialogue, BelTA has learned.

“In the current international situation, including on the back of the resonant exacerbation of a number of regional conflicts, public and political elites in Europe and the United States open a new Belarus for themselves. At the same time Belarus remains the same as it has been before. What changes is the interpretation of our moves and steps,” Valentin Rybakov noted.

The deputy minister is confident that challenging stereotypes is useful and the country welcomes a more open view of the western countries on the processes that are taking place in the Belarusian state and around it.

Valentin Rybakov noted that Belarus is an active member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). “This does not create any problems for us to develop mutually beneficial relations with the EU and NATO as well. A competition of integrations is not what the world needs today. The world needs a partnership of integrations. We are ready for it, and, first of all, on the CSTO-OSCE line,” he stressed.