News & Events in Belarus

MINSK, 11 July (BelTA) - It is fundamentally important for Belarus to develop cooperation with the East and the West without making a choice between them, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting to discuss Belarus’ priorities in foreign politics at the present stage on 11 July, BelTA has learned.

“Today we need to find more business partners and reliable allies in order to strengthen our standing. We do not need to confront anyone. We need to make friends with everyone. It is fundamentally important to develop cooperation with the East and the West without making a choice between them. We need to find new contacts everywhere to be known, understood, and recognized in the end. This is when we will be able to establish mutually beneficial relations,” the head of state noted.

Alexander Lukashenko pointed out Belarus has been successfully pursuing this policy for a long time. “Multi-vector policy is among Belarus’ most important priorities in foreign policy. It has become an indisputable fact,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

Speaking about the Eastern vector of the Belarusian foreign policy, the president remarked clear tasks and approaches to work have been outlined. “Russia has been our strategic partner and will remain so. We are coordinating our foreign policy and cooperation in security. We have been also successfully addressing a number of social and humanitarian issues,” Alexander Lukashenko underlined.

He recalled that Belarus has co-established the Eurasian Economic Union together with its partners within a very short time. This project is one of the largest integration associations set up recently.

We have been filling the Belarus-China strategic partnership with concrete content, too, the Belarusian leader said.

“We have made certain headway in our Western vector of foreign policy. We have made a long way towards the normalization of relations with the EU. Our cooperation with the U.S. has been gradually gaining momentum, too,” the president added.

Alexander Lukashenko also spoke about another vector of foreign policy: proactive search for new partners and expanding cooperation with the leading countries of the so-called “distant arc” around the world.

“As a result of such multi-vector policy, we have achieved a new perception of Belarus in the world. Belarus is viewed as an independent, peaceful country, a kind of a donor of security in the region. Belarus has initiated and co-authored various initiatives in such essential international organizations as the UN, the OSCE, and other important and reputable regional organizations,” Alexander Lukashenko summarized.