Events

MINSK, 22 May (BelTA) – Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei will go on a working trip to Brussels at the end of May. He announced it at the meeting with Ambassadors-at-Large for the Eastern Partnership representing the EU member states on 22 May, BelTA has learnt.

According to Vladimir Makei, this year started on a positive note for Belarus-EU relations as Belarus welcomed European Commissioner Johannes Hahn responsible for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations. After that, a session of the Belarus-EU Coordination Group took place in April, followed by a series of high-level visits by representatives of the European Union member states. “Your visit is a great example of this positive trend. I hope it will remain in place during my working trip to Brussels at the end of May. I will use this opportunity to discuss our bilateral agenda with European Commissioner Johannes Hahn and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini,” the minister said.

Vladimir Makei noted that in June Belarus will host an informal dialogue of foreign and sectoral ministers of the Eastern Partnership states for the second time. The event will focus on cooperation in the digital sector where Belarus is among the leaders. Vladimir Makei expects European Commissioner Johannes Hahn and European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel to attend the event to discuss ways to strengthen the Eastern Partnership and promote its digital agenda in the run-up to the annual EaP Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in October.

Talking about the ongoing meeting hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Makei underlined that such events are essential for building normal and mutually beneficial relations with the European Union, in particular, in the context of the regional setting and challenges for international security and trade.

“We believe it is important to build mutual trust through open and constructive dialogue, including by means of closer contacts with the EU member states,” the minister of foreign affairs noted.

According to Vladimir Makei, many in the EU know little about Belarus. He expressed hope that the European diplomats will see that the reality differs from what they have heard and read about Belarus.

The minister noted that there are no perfect countries in the world and Belarus is no exception. He emphasized the need to adopt an objective approach and to take note not only of possible negative things, but also pay attention to positive things.