Opinions & Interviews

Orban: It is time for EU to lift sanctions on Belarus

Viktor Orban

MINSK, 5 June (BelTA) - It is time for the European Union to lift the existing sanctions on Belarus, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at a press conference after the talks with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko in Minsk on 5 June, BelTA has learned.

The Hungarian head of government stressed that his country supports the development of the Eastern Partnership, of which Belarus is a member. Partnership cannot be built with sanctions. Therefore, it is time for the European Union to lift the existing sanctions against Belarus, he said.

In his opinion, after the normalization of the epidemiological situation and the resumption of economic activity, a new stage in cooperation between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union will begin, and this will be a key event for the region.

Speaking about the issues discussed at the meeting with the Belarusian leader, Viktor Orban mentioned the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. “We have discussed the Minsk Agreements. I believe that their implementation is the only hope for resolving the situation in Ukraine. I am confident that Belarus plays a very important role in settling the Ukrainian conflict,” he said.

The parties also discussed economic cooperation. The prime minister mentioned a credit line of €40 million opened in a Hungarian bank to finance cooperation between companies of Belarus and Hungary.

According to him, Hungary also supported Belarus' accession to the WTO and the development of cooperation with NATO.

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