MINSK, 17 July (BelTA) – Belarus-suggested concept for a new international forum similar to the Helsinki Process may help abandon hostile rhetoric and move to a negotiating process, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said in an interview to the Belarus One TV channel, BelTA has learned.
According to the minister, the Helsinki 2 initiative, put forward by the Belarusian head of state, is timely and needed. “Very soon we [the world] will understand the urgent need to move from hostile rhetoric to a negotiating process, and search for mutually acceptable solutions to the existing issues. This can be done within the Helsinki 2 initiative,” Vladimir Makei is confident.
Speaking about Belarus' CEI presidency which is aimed at promoting connectivity in a wider Europe, the minister noted that Belarus' major target is to address the existing problems. “Of course, we understand that we cannot organize immediately any direct negotiations related to concluding legally binding agreements between, for instance, the EAEU and the European Union. We should move forward step by step,” said the Belarusian minister of foreign affairs.
“We are interested in bringing our standards together, in using uniform rules in trade. If we move step by step here, I am confident that there will be more understanding in the need for cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Economic Space,” said Vladimir Makei.
