Opinions & Interviews

Finnish FM hails talks with Lukashenko as sincere, open
The parties also discussed the role of Belarus, which the country plays in the peace process in Ukraine. The meeting took place in the same hall of the Palace of Independence which hosted the Normandy Four talks several years ago...

FM: Unlocking full potential of cooperation with Belarus is important for Sweden
“Finland, Sweden and Belarus are the countries of the same region, and we have a lot to discuss. We face common environmental problems related to the climate change. We also work closely together on many issues in trade, on increasing the level of contacts between citizens of our countries"...

Belarus interested in building good-neighborly relations with EU
The president said that Belarus is interested in the best practices of the European Union in many fields. However, first of all, it is essential to complete the process of developing a legal framework and to sign pending agreements. “It would be nice to do it without preliminary terms. We need to move in this direction”...

Pekka Haavisto calls Belarus-Finland relations pragmatic
“It is important to discuss relations between Finland and Belarus, because these are indeed good and pragmatic relations. We are promoting our trade and economic contacts and we see some very positive trends in this field”...

Swedish MFA recommends using ‘Belarus’ instead of ‘White Russia’ in Swedish
“This is a recognition of the Belarusian civil society and the people who have long wanted to emphasize the national identity and sovereignty of their country,” said the Swedish minister Ann Linde, who is in Minsk on an official visit on 25 November together with Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto...

Rumas optimistic about Belarus-UK cooperation after Brexit
There will be more cooperation opportunities for Belarus and the United Kingdom after Brexit, Belarusian Premier Sergei Rumas said as he met with Prince Michael of Kent, a member of the British Royal Family...

Belarus MFA: Washington does not try to make Minsk scale back ties with Moscow
“They [U.S. officials] keep saying that they will accept any decision, that this decision should be democratic, that this is our business. They say that they are aware of the historical ties between Belarus and Russia and the existing cooperation formats”...

Belarusian secure government communications system’s capabilities, future plans described
“We have fully phased out the Soviet legacy. The entire system now relies on new hardware. Purely Belarusian encryption hardware is used to make communications secure. At present the localization rate of the primary equipment is 80%. We don’t expect any problems in this regard. We just have to improve what we have”...

Quality changes in entrepreneurship in Belarus noted
The head of government said: “Today we see substantial growth of entrepreneurship in Belarus from the point of view of not only quantity but quality, too. I am convinced that further development depends more heavily on the private sector than other ones”...

New MPs expected to work harder to promote Belarus’ interests in international scene
Speaking about the composition of the new parliament, Oleg Gaidukevich noted there are many charismatic and prominent people, who are accomplished professionals. “This parliament will be active and interesting. It will be able to work in complicated circumstances"...

Rapota: OSCE observers assess elections based on their outlook
“What did you expect from OSCE observers? They say the same thing in all CIS countries. Everything that does not fit their idea of life, their world view, disappoints them, so to speak,” Grigory Rapota said when asked about the OSCE assessment of the parliamentary elections held in Belarus...

Rumas: Belarus-Russia integration outcomes are obvious, undeniable
To illustrate his point, Sergei Rumas mentioned equal rights of Belarusian and Russian nationals, a common migration space, absence of border checks. In his words, the legal framework of Belarus-Russia cooperation comprises more than 300 interstate agreements and treaties...

Belarus-Russia tighter integration hinges on resolution of critical issues in economic cooperation
“This is why today as we sum up results of the efforts to prepare the roadmaps, we are resolute to tackle the issues that still stand. The resolution of these issues and a clear stance on them are extremely important for the proper preparation of the session of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, which we expect will begin a new stage in the development of the Union State”...

Lukashenko: Sports achievements determine the prestige of the country
The head of state described sport as a versatile activity, which is part of the economy and reflects the level of the country’s technological development...

Lukashenko: Olympic victories unite nation
“Sport is one of the most important parts of the social life and politics in the world today. Everyone in Belarus, not only you and I, understand this today. Olympic victories unite the nation, inspire a sense of pride for the country, bring new heroes”...

Partnership of state, private sector in innovations expected to spur Belarus’ development
“Along with other countries Belarus is entering the postindustrial information age. Today goods and services offered by science-intensive enterprises, cutting-edge equipment and technologies can be found in all aspects of people’s lives. Digitization has become the fact to determine the competitive ability virtually in all sectors of the economy and in the sphere of state administration”...

Belarus’ important geopolitical role in Europe noted
Gregory Jullien said: “Belarus plays an important geopolitical role in Europe today, this is why the interest in the elections is so great and this is why so many international observers have come here”...

Lukashenko: Belarus will remain within its borders, will not come to heel
“Unlike Russia, we do not have a partnership agreement with Nato. Neither do with have an agreement with the European Union, like Russia does. Russia joined the WTO and is helping us to do the same,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said...

Lukashenko: You can’t make people stay in once place in a global world
The head of state believes that today there are virtually no walls and barriers for the movement and interaction of people. It is wrong to prevent people from moving if they want to work abroad in such industries as science, for example. It is impossible to develop without international contacts...

Lukashenko comments on differences in holding talks with Russia, West
"As for the United States, they never demand anything from me,” the president said. He recalled that there used to be such a popular thesis - decide, Belarusians, either the West or the East, either you are with us or with them. “I have recently met with high-ranking American politicians and I know their position"...