MINSK, 27 February (BelTA) – The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and the European Union (EU) should establish pragmatic cooperation, Belarus' Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Oleg Kravchenko said at the conference New Rules, New Spaces – Opportunities in Russia and the EEU during his working visit to Germany, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The conference was organized by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce. “In his speech the head of the Belarusian delegation stressed the importance of integration processes on the continent for economic development, and the need to secure the alignment and establish pragmatic cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union. The Belarusian representative also pointed to Belarus' economic potential and comparative advantages for German investors,” the press service noted. The Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce signed a memorandum of cooperation at the conference.
The Belarusian-German ministerial consultations were held as part of the visit. The German delegation was led by State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office Markus Ederer. The parties discussed a wide range of issues related to cooperation, prospects of expanding bilateral cooperation, the Belarus-EU dialogue and the situation in the region.
While in Berlin, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Christoph Heusgen, the Under-Secretary for Foreign and Security Policy in the German Chancellery, to talk over cooperation priorities in the bilateral and regional agenda.
The ways to intensify inter-parliamentary cooperation were considered at the meeting with member of the German-Belarusian parliamentary group Karl-Georg Wellmann in the German Bundestag. At the meeting with Matthias Platzeck, member of the Board of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the parties studied the possibilities of expanding Belarus' cooperation with the foundation, including in the economic and social areas.
According to the press service, the prospects of developing cooperation between Belarus and Germany in the economic and investment sectors were discussed at the meeting with Michael Harms, Executive Director of the Germany's Eastern Economic Committee. The parties agreed to step up the activity of the Belarusian-German business council and organize the exchange of business visits between the two countries.
Oleg Kravchenko also took part in the celebrations of the Fatherland Defenders' Day in Berlin and laid a wreath at the monument to the Soviet soldiers.
