German ambassador: 2008 year could bring a breakthrough in Belarus – EU relations

There is a chance that the new year could bring a breakthrough even in the spheres, where we have some misunderstanding. Mr. Gebhardt Weiss, the German ambassador to Belarus expressed this opinion during an interview with BELTA.

In particular, I hope for the opportunity to smooth some of the political contradictions. There is a special program on the side of the EU. It is an important part of our policy, especially this year. We know that Belarus is preparing for the parliamentary elections and pay much attention to this fact. The better they’ll go, the wider the horizons of cooperation between Belarus and the rest of the Europe be 10 months later, the ambassador noted. 

The conditions for the realization of many-sided communication started changing. Even though it occurs slowly and the results aren’t always obvious. Take the X Minsk forum format, for example. It was impossible to miss the fact that the dialogue between the representatives of Belarus and Germany went in a more open way than before. Soon a Eurocommission representative office will be opened in Minsk. This is a long expected move and a good stimulus for new forms of communication. Both Belarus and the EU benefit from the positive solution of the problem. New opportunities for improvement in relations between the neighbours appear. Firstly, permission from Belarusian authorities is an adequate response, because Belarus already has a representative office in Brussels. Secondly, it has a serious political effect – it promotes the normalization of the relations. 

There are spheres, where we simply have to cooperate. Belarus and the EU have long been working together on fighting crime and illegal migration, raising the professionalism of the border services. It is worth to cooperate more intensely on energy safety and ecological equilibrium. Belarus’ role in improving the climate conditions in Europe is very important.

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