President: Belarus can and should play a more active and important role in global politics

Photo: www.president.gov.by

Belarus can and should play a more active and important role in global politics, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said in his State of the Nation Address. “At present Belarus is the pillar of security in the region. There are no religious or ethnic conflicts in Belarus. We have never created and do not create problems for our neighbors. And we will never create problems,” the head of state guaranteed and added that the multi-vector foreign policy has been and still is a major principle of Belarus.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko spoke against all talk and no action in the relations between Belarus and the West. The head of state noted that the relations between Belarus and the West have seen an important change. “I hope we will not ‘overtalk’ this process. I believe the West also realizes that if we fail to maintain the momentum, we will lose the interest in each other,” Alexander Lukashenko stressed. The Belarusian leader is convinced that trade and economic relations should serve as the foundation, as they always bring countries and peoples closer to each other. Constructive multilateral cooperation with the European Union is in the best interests of Belarus. The same applies to trade and economic relations and dialogue with the United States.

When speaking about the relations and dialogue with the West, Alexander Lukashenko underlined that they should be equal. “As for our cooperation with the West, we are interested primarily in investment, technology transfer, creating advanced joint ventures, participation of Belarusian companies in international production chains,” the President noted. It is essential to avoid creating new dividing lines in Europe. It is important to ensure that the relations between the EU and the EEU are complementary rather than mutually exclusive, Alexander Lukashenko noted. The President recalled that in the history of Belarus there have been many negative events when the country found itself in the epicenter of such divisions. “So for a country that could again find itself on such a dividing line, it is not just political talking,” the head of state noted. Alexander Lukashenko also made it clear that the Russian Federation is an ally and a strategic partner of Belarus.

“The multi-vector foreign policy remains the main principle of our country. I want to underline that the Russian Federation is an ally and a strategic partner of Belarus. This is why we should dynamically advance comprehensive cooperation at the interstate and regional levels.”

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko also said that Belarus must be prepared to counter international terrorism, suppress any of its manifestations by cooperating with other states and creating its own security system.

“Belarus should be ready to counteract international terrorism, suppress any of its manifestations through cooperation with other states and development of its own security system. The global situation has considerably changed in recent years. Regional conflicts have been rapidly multiplying, bringing large-scale migration crises. Full-fledged terrorist quasi-states emerge to threaten the whole world community. Even prosperous Europe cannot feel safe today. A wave of terrorism has swept over many countries. The bloody events in Paris, Brussels have shocked the world. These threats still exist for other states, and we should not forget about it. The entire Belarusian society is involved in ensuring security, demonstrates solidarity in the face of new threats and accepts the measures undertaken by security agencies”.

Belarus’ cooperation with the WTO was also on the agenda. Belarus is ready to work to join the World Trade Organization while safeguarding its own interests. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko made the statement while answering questions of MPs after delivering his address to the nation and the parliament.

“Belarus has an open economy, the country cannot be isolated from the outside world and is interested in working on foreign markets. It is very important for us to be part of the world economic organism called WTO. Every WTO member pursues and defends its own interests. We are ready to work in this area while protecting our own interests just like everyone else does. The negotiation process assumes that partnering countries can reach a compromise, first and foremost. If we see that we don’t lose out in the course of the negotiation process, we will accept the terms. If we do, then we are out of it. At present nothing prevents Belarus from joining the World Trade Organization, with the USA and the European Union pledging their support and assistance with the matter. We are thankful to them for it but we are going to negotiate to secure interests in all areas, including the industry and the agriculture. All economy branches are important for us and need protection.”