Opinions & Interviews

NESVIZH, 24 June (BelTA) – In new conditions of interaction between Belarus and the European Union efforts to secure large-scale normalization and further intensification of Belarusian-German cooperation proceed successfully. New opportunities open up for the development of twinning relations. Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei made the statement in his welcoming address to participants of the ninth meeting of representatives of sister towns and cities of Belarus and Germany, BelTA has learned. The meeting is scheduled to take place in Nesvizh on 24-25 June.

During the event Vladimir Makei’s welcoming address was read out by Yevgeny Vorobyev, Head of the Office for Europe at the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“From the depth of my soul I welcome you in Nesvizh, one of the most beautiful towns of Belarus that truly deserves the love of tourists and citizens of our country. I hope that the program of the meeting will allow you to get familiar with the rich history and the bright modern image of the town and the region,” the address reads. “It is a great honor for me to address the people, who dedicated their entire lives to developing twinning relations between cities and communities of Belarus and Germany, thus making an essential contribution to stronger relations between our countries in a broad sense.”

Sister city relations represent the most effective form of grassroots diplomacy. Vladimir Makei stressed that the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has always highly thought of the role that grassroots diplomacy plays in efforts to achieve the goals facing professional diplomats. Even in the most complicated periods in the history of the Belarus-Germany political dialogue the sister city ties were never broken, mutual visits continued, joint projects were implemented, and new plans were drafted.

“Today in new conditions of Belarus’ interaction with the European Union efforts to secure large-scale normalization and further intensification of Belarusian-German cooperation proceed successfully. New opportunities open up for the development of twinning relations, expansion of the circle of their participants, opportunities to raise their standards and improve the content of contacts,” noted the Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs.