NUCLEAR POWER IN BELARUS AND WORLDWIDE
MINSK, 4 December (BelTA) – Belarus more and more actively participates in and initiates measures designed to build up trust and resolve conflicts by peaceful means. Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Oleg Kravchenko made the relevant statement as the 17th Minsk Forum opened in the Belarusian capital city on 4 December, BelTA has learned. Scheduled to take place on 4-6 December, the forum will focus on Belarus' place in Europe, opportunities for foreign policy, economy, civil society, and culture.
The diplomat said: “For more than two decades the Minsk Forum has gathered in the Belarusian capital politicians, state figures, representatives of the private sector, academic circles, and the civil society of Belarus and countries of the European Union – all those, who care for the destiny of our country and the development of its society, who are interested in the place of the Republic of Belarus on the map of Europe and the world, its role in international politics.”
Oleg Kravchenko pointed out that Belarus' relations with European partners have not always been smooth. But the Minsk Forum has invariably been kind of a constant, a unique and sought-after platform for an open and thoughtful dialogue. The forum has always helped build up mutual trust.
“The state of affairs today greatly differs from the circumstances, in which the forum was established,” Oleg Kravchenko continued. “Together we have walked a long way, which allowed us to reconcile views, understand each other although without agreeing on everything. We've been able to expand relations and recognize probably the most important fact – that we objectively need each other. Security, stability, and economic prosperity of Belarus depend to a large degree on the depth and effectiveness of interaction with the nearest neighbors, including naturally the European Union. Belarus has been taking persistent and successful steps in favor of reforms and modernization. The country more and more actively acts as a donor of political and economic stability, a participant and initiator of measures designed to build up trust and resolve conflicts by peaceful means. Belarus is a partner of the European Union.”
