MINSK, 6 December (BelTA) – I held some meetings on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Stockholm and they were not officially reported at the request of my foreign counterparts, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said in an interview with the Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“I had a number of meetings with my counterparts, which were reported officially, including on the website of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Most of the meetings, however, were held behind closed doors, and we did not report about them because my counterparts asked me to keep them, let us say, confidential. That is the democracy as they see it. That is the freedom of expression as they see it. They fear that because of such meetings they will be ostracized in their media and by their people,” the minister said.
“Nevertheless, these meetings did take place. I believe that such meetings are more telling. What we hear officially at such public meetings is one thing. However, behind closed doors my colleagues express the opinions that everyone should hit a pause button and think how to stop further escalation of the situation,” the minister said.
