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Belarus will reciprocate if EU really shows readiness for equal and respectful relations, foreign minister says

Belarus will reciprocate if the European Union shows in deed and not in word alone that it is ready for relations based on equality and mutual respect, Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey said in a recent interview with the Russian newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda.

“It is the EU that holds the key to solving the situation that exists in our relationship,” Mr. Makey said.

According to him, the current relations between Minsk and Brussels do not meet the real needs of either of the sides. “This is because the EU wants to establish standards for the social and economic development of our country by itself, naturally bearing no responsibility for possible consequences,” he said. “We cannot accept such an interference in our domestic affairs and will certainly defend our right to choose our own path of development independently.”

It is the EU that is to blame for the “loss of trust in the dialogue and therefore it is for the EU to repair the caused damage,” Mr. Makey said.

As he noted, Belarus is ready for an equal and respectful dialogue with the EU, but Brussels has not yet shown that it realizes the need for such a dialogue.

In 2011, the EU spread its sanctions to more Belarusian officials and companies, Mr. Makey said. However, he noted, economic relations between Belarus and the EU at the level of companies continue to develop rather successfully. According to him, Belarus-EU trade in the first nine months of 2012 totaled $21.4 billion, with Belarusian exports amounting to $14.9 billion. “Trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and the EU is mutually beneficial and the elimination of the existing political barriers would give it a powerful impetus,” he said. “Unfortunately, the EU’s approaches to its relations with Belarus are still dominated by recurrences of the old mode of thinking.” //BelaPAN