Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 9 September (BelTA) – Belarus is in favor of a dialogue and cooperation between the Customs Union (the future Eurasian Economic Union) and the European Union with a view to establishing a single economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok, Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Yelena Kupchina said at the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Eastern Partnership member states that took place in Baku on 9 September on the sidelines of the fourth round of the informal ministerial dialogues of the Eastern Partnership member states, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry.

The agenda of the informal meeting included the current issues and prospects of the further development of the Eastern Partnership, including preparations for the fourth Eastern Partnership summit due in Riga in May 2015.

During a plenary discussion the head of the Belarusian delegation voiced Belarus’ fundamental approaches to cooperation within the framework of the Eastern Partnership. Yelena Kupchina urged to revisit the initiative taking into consideration the Ukraine crisis and the conclusion of the EU association agreement by Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. She emphasized the importance of a country-specific approach taking into account the national interests, priorities and needs of the partner states.

Yelena Kupchina noted that it is vital to observe unconditionally the principle of equality of the EaP partner states regardless of their integration aspirations. She deems it necessary to secure a useful effect of the initiative, including by strengthening of the business dimension of the EaP project and ramping up cooperation in transport, trade, energy, and border control. Yelena Kupchina voiced Belarus’ concrete proposals on improving the efficiency of partnership.

Working meetings were held with the heads of the delegations of the partner states, and with European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Stefan Fule and Deputy Secretary General for the External Action Service Helga Schmid. The parties discussed a broad range of issues of the bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including the relations between Belarus and the European Union.