Events

MINSK, 26 August (BelTA) – There are no intermediaries at the Minsk talks, as everyone is interested in normalizing the situation in the center of Europe, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said as he opened the meeting of the presidents of the Customs Union member states, Ukraine and high representatives of the European Union on 26 August, BelTA has learned.

Alexander Lukashenko believes that the participation of two Vice-Presidents of the European Commission Catherine Ashton and Gunther Oettinger and Commissioner for Trade Karel de Gucht shows that the European Union is keen on resolving the problems on the agenda. The Belarusian President believes that the involvement of the President of Kazakhstan testifies to the fact that not only Europeans are concerned by the developments in the center of Europe.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that in the run-up to this event Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was asked to provide a detailed analysis of the Ukraine-EU association agreement and its possible repercussions for the Customs Union. The Russian President directed a team of experts to study the matter thoroughly. According to the Belarusian leader, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Viktor Khristenko is also ready to join the conversation. “In other words, there are no intermediaries sitting at this round table, there are no lobbyists, opportunists. Here we have the people who are interested in the normalization of the situation in the center of Europe,” the Belarusian head of state said.

Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that having lost a third of its population during the Second World War, Belarus cannot stay indifferent to what is going on in the center of Europe.

With Belarus holding the CIS Chairmanship this year, Alexander Lukashenko was asked to communicate special concerns of the CIS member states over the events in Ukraine.