MINSK, 21 January (BelTA) – Belarus’ Foreign Affairs Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov spoke about the prospects of warming relations with European neighbors as he commented on the international agenda in an interview with BelTA.
The minister is confident that there is potential for a thaw in relations with European countries. In his view, cooperation is most likely to be restored first with Poland. “This is a country that sees itself as a genuine regional leader and does everything to achieve that, pursuing a pragmatic policy which does not allow for any room for error. Cooperation with our self-exiled opposition is a dead end for them. I believe that they will come to realize this, put an end to this story, and start building cooperation in the interests of the people on both sides of the border, returning to trade, economic and human interaction with Belarus,” he said.
He has a slightly different point of view regarding Lithuania. “Unfortunately, it is a country where politicians neither think nor intend to think about their own people. Their positions are owed not to the Lithuanian people, but to Brussels or Washington. And they will do whatever they are told from there. This makes them unpredictable. It is difficult to work with a partner who wakes up with a headache and goes to bed with a toothache, as their mood can change accordingly. When a window of opportunity for cooperation opens, it may be necessary to think carefully about how far to open the window and whether it is worth opening it at all,” Maxim Ryzhenkov stressed.
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