Events

MINSK, 13 March (BelTA) – Belarus’ Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Oleg Kravchenko emphasized the need to enhance the practical impact of the Eastern Partnership as he attended the annual meeting of senior officials of the EU's Eastern Partnership in Brussels, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The head of the Belarusian delegation was one of the keynote speakers at the plenary session devoted to the improvement of the Eastern Partnership in the light of the summit held in 2017.

During the plenary session and thematic discussions Oleg Kravchenko laid out Belarus’ approaches to the enhancing of the effectiveness of the institutional framework of the Eastern Partnership. The Belarusian representative emphasized the need to strengthen the practical impact of the initiative, its orientation towards concrete and tangible projects in such areas as transportation, energy efficiency, and information technology.

Oleg Kravchenko urged to continue using the Eastern Partnership as a platform for equal dialogue between the EU and the partner countries to strengthen mutual trust and security in the region. Belarus’ deputy minister confirmed the interest and readiness of Belarus to negotiate a new framework agreement with the European Union.

The Belarusian representative also met with Mr. Luc Devin, Head of the Directorate for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia, Regional Cooperation and OSCE at the European External Action Service (EEAS), and Katarina Mathernova, the Deputy Director-General for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations. Oleg Kravchenko also took part in the consultations between the heads of the delegations of the six countries-partners of the Eastern Partnership and the ambassadors-at-large of a number of EU member states.