Opinions & Interviews

Call for CSTO’s more active involvement in decisions of international organizations
“Dangerous conflict hotbeds persist along the perimeter of the CSTO responsibility area as well as Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the European region. The conflict hotbeds may potentially influence the collective security and evolve into situations, which consequences cannot be predicted"...

Makei: Belarus makes its contribution to enhancing trust on the continent
Talking about the results of the OSCE PA session in Minsk, which major theme was “Enhancing mutual trust and cooperation for peace and prosperity in the OSCE region”, Vladimir Makei stated that the current level of opposition is extremely high and it is impossible to change the situation within one session or month...

Dodon: Moldova and Belarus will always have shared interests
“There are many interesting projects. They just need to be considered carefully and promoted,” Igor Dodon said. He also added that Belarus and Moldova should considerably increase mutual trade within the next year or two...

Gusman: Belarus President’s new Helsinki Process initiative can be implemented within five years
According to Mikhail Gusman, it is important to gradually implement the idea of Alexander Lukashenko. “It seems to me that Alexander Grigoryevich [Lukashenko] has felt the right moment. I believe that it can be implemented within the next five years,” said Mikhail Gusman...

Makei in an interview with El Pais: Belarus considering extending visa-free stay period
“Since spring, EU citizens can travel to Belarus for a period of up to five days without a visa. The minister said the government is considering extending this period,” reads the interview...

Belarus, Russia hailed as drivers of integration
“When there are different forms of integration in one region, it is important to ensure that they do not interfere with each other. Thanks to the long-standing close ties in all areas, including in economy, Belarus and Russia have been the core of not only the Union State but also of the Eurasian Economic Union"...

Zinovsky: Documents to facilitate business activity in Belarus will be signed soon
“The government has worked hard to prepare these documents. Careful consideration has been given to a package of documents on liberalization. They have been submitted to the President Administration. There are certain points that need to be finalized by lawyers, proofreaders, and editors. I believe the head of state will sign these documents in the near future”...

Dodon: Moldova and Belarus will always be connected by friendly relations
“Dear friends, it is a great honor for me to greet you on behalf of my country’s leadership, on behalf of the Moldovan nation for the first time in 26 years. This forum has become internationally recognized. It is this forum that has launched the careers of famous artists from dozens of countries, including Moldova”...

Putin: Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk brings nations closer to each other
"There is no doubt that such a large-scale joint cultural event contributes heavily to the advancement of fruitful humanitarian cooperation. It facilitates mutual spiritual enrichment and brings nations closer to each other,” reads welcome address extended by President of Russia Vladimir Putin to participants, guests, and organizers of the festival...

Lukashenko notes growing international respect for Belarus
“The ancient city of Vitebsk, which is unofficially recognized as our cultural capital city, has welcomed artistic delegations from 72 countries over the course of 25 years. Today we once again welcome all nations. We gladly welcome participants and fans of the festival from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The fact vividly testifies not only to the festival’s popularity but to the growing respect for Belarus in the community of nations”...

Moldova president’s visit to Belarus ‘above all expectations’
“One day and a half allowed me to touch everything I’ve seen on television. I had certain expectations but everything I’ve seen exceeds them,” Moldova President Igor Dodon made the statement as he met with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko...

Turkey in favor of promoting business contacts with Belarus
Belarus and Turkey’s goal is to increase trade up to $1 billion, which is now at $800 million. “Well-balanced development of bilateral trade is our goal. We are moving steadily towards this objective,” Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkey to Belarus Kezban Nilvana Darama added...

Belarus’ ambassador: German business shows interest in industrial park Great Stone
“The German business is strongly interested in developing cooperation in the East – Russia, China. Thanks to that, we are now in the focus of their attention, including within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative,” Denis Sidorenko said...

Belarus working toward full removal of U.S. sanctions
“The relations between Belarus and the United States are developing. The process is quite stable. We have been moving toward normalization for the past several years. There is a movement toward us, but certain stereotypes still persist, and the U.S. sanctions have not been removed completely"...

Lukashenko pleased with latest Belarus-Russia union’s Supreme State Council session in Moscow
“Let me surprise you by saying that the importance of items on the agenda was not the key thing, the items were super important. The ambience of the Supreme State Council session was important. I’ve said it openly that we’ve never had such openness and warm-heartedness and, most of all, efficiency in the entire history of the Union State of Belarus and Russia”...

Moldova plans to boost trade with Belarus up to $400m
“We have good relations in the political dimension. But we are also interested in mutually beneficial joint business projects. Our partnership with Belarus has traditionally been friendly, and will remain so,” Igor Dodon remarked...

Belarus in favor of promoting all-round cooperation with Kazakhstan
Head of the Belarus President Administration Natalia Kochanova met with Kazakhstan State Secretary Gulshara Abdykalikova in Minsk. The sides reviewed the current state and prospects of Belarus-Kazakhstan relations and welcomed the ongoing dialogue between the two countries...

Ignatenko: Belarus’ initiative to launch new Helsinki Process is relevant for Europe
“I think you got the trend in Europe right. Everybody is fed up with fighting, feuding. Everybody is fed up with mutual misunderstanding. Everyone strives for mutual understanding. It was for a reason that the OSCE PA Annual Session was held in Belarus,” Vitaly Ignatenko noted...

Mass media encouraged to use influence to peacefully resolve conflicts
Bojan Brcic said he believes that news reporting is starting to look a lot like politics. “It is not bad. We just need to steer this kind of politics towards creation and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” said the reporter...

Venediktov: Lukashenko correctly described threats facing modern media
According to him, amid the digital revolution and the development of social media, any person, not related to journalism and media, has a real opportunity to create his own information stream and publish things that he considers news...