MINSK, 4 June (BelTA) – The key to success for the Eastern Partnership is ability to fit into a new geopolitical system in Eastern Europe, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said at an expert conference “Eastern Partnership at 10: Results and Ways Forward” on 4 June, BelTA has learned.
“Today this system is highly explosive because of the critical deficit of political will, escalation of disagreements in ideological and other mattes, demolition of weapons control systems and trust, trade wars and information wars,” Vladimir Makei said.
In his view, sanctions and countersanctions can only make it worse; they have no room for compromises. “It is sad that Belarus, a donor of stability, a sponsor of peacekeeping efforts and an indirect victim of countersanctions, is also under sanctions, though minimal,” Vladimir Makei said. He believes that it hampers trust building between Belarus and the West. “It is obvious that all positive changes in our relations occurred not due to, but despite the sanctions,” the minister said.
“As our relations did not come back to normalcy, the head of state thought it would be premature to accept the invitation to attend the Eastern Partnership anniversary events held in Brussels in May,” Vladimir Makei explained.
According to him, the Eastern Partnership should be free from such useless and outdated barriers. It should serve as a bridge between east and west; it should promote peace, dialogue and mutual understanding within Big Europe.
“This does not mean that we reject the rules and values adopted by the European family. However, we believe that we should move towards them gradually. It is impossible to change the situation in the society and the country overnight and to instantly achieve those democratic goals that some countries spent decades and even centuries to achieve,” Vladimir Makei believes.
