Lukashenka meets EU external relations commissioner

Belarus sincerely wishes to have good relations with the European Union, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said at a meeting with the EU external relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, in Minsk on June 22, BelaPAN said.

The Belarusian leader stressed that he had always been an advocate of a sincere policy and proposed having an “absolutely honest and frank talk.”

“In the European Union, there have lately been politicians who believe that Lukashenka is playing a game with Europe, and that he isn’t going to change anything in the country and in relations with Europe,” the presidential press office quoted Mr. Lukashenka as saying. “In all my years as president, I’ve never allowed myself to act dishonestly. Maybe, I don’t look like a diplomat, but I believe that politics should be of an honest nature. Even if this is disadvantageous to you now, you should tell the truth, because lies will become known anyway after a while and it will be very difficult to come out of the situation.”

According to him, Belarus would like to establish normal relations with the EU, as Europe is a neighbor of Belarus and the EU member countries account for half of the nation’s foreign trade, with Belarus having an export surplus.

Mr. Lukashenka noted that the EU possesses advanced technologies and Belarus has an economy based on high technologies, and that is why the nation cannot develop its economy without cooperation with the bloc.

“What do we want of Europe?” he said. “We want the Europeans to understand that Belarus is not only the geographic center of this continent. Very decent, honest and industrious people live here. There exists an independent and sovereign state here and we cannot allow anyone to infringe on this, however much they may want it.”

Mr. Lukashenka noted that Belarus attaches much importance to cooperation with the EU in the financial sphere. For its part, Belarus can offer not only its geographic situation at a crossroads of transport routes corridors but also its services to ensure security. “We are a connecting link between the European Union and the Russian Federation,” he said. “Major oil and gas pipelines, motor highways and railroads run through the territory of Belarus, with all this being in good condition, in better condition than in neighboring countries.”

According to him, Europe has never had grounds to think that Belarus does not perform well in ensuring the security of the EU, as the country actively combats illegal migration, drug trafficking and the smuggling of radioactive substances.

In addition, Mr. Lukashenka said, Belarus has an absolutely stable situation in the country and does not have any religious or ethnic conflicts. “This creates the basis on which Belarus and the European Union could build their relations,” he said.

Mr. Lukashenka thanked the EU commissioner for her visit to Belarus despite her tight schedule. “Very much depends on this meeting,” he stressed. “We sincerely wish to build good relations with you, although someone may dislike this.”

According to the presidential press office, Ms. Ferrero-Waldner noted that Belarus is located at an intersection of European roads and that is why its relations with the EU should be a two-way street. She reportedly said that the EU countries had asked Belarus to “fulfill a number of desires” and some of them had been fulfilled. “The steps that you made allowed the Europeans to reconsider their approach to your country. If you have an intention, then we’ll be ready to establish cooperation,” the presidential press office quoted her as saying.

The commissioner reportedly stressed that the EU respects the sovereignty of Belarus, knows its history and realizes that it is hard to be a bridge between the East and the West.