Belarusian Minister Uladzimir Makey hopes for the intensification of the all-round cooperation with the European Union, he said at the 17th Assembly of the Business Circles of Belarus on Wednesday.
“The fact that the majority of sanctions have been lifted against Belarus gives us an opportunity to develop all-round cooperation with the EU. I think that in the near future we will make concrete steps to improve our dialogue with European partners,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes the minister as saying.
The 17th Assembly of the Business Circles of Belarus is the key event of the Belarusian Entrepreneurship Week which is ta king place from 29 February to 4 March.
As reported earlier, president Alyaksandr Lukashenka slammed the work of the Belarusian government during the recent conference on improving the effectiveness of the social and economic field. Soon after the 2015 presidential election, the Belarusian leader urged public servants to pay maximum attention to earning foreign currency by exporting Belarusian merchandise.
Read also: Sanctions lifted! Sell goods, make money! – Lukashenka
In mid February, the European Union decided not to continue economic sanctions against Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and 169 Belarusian officials. At the same time, the EU upheld the arms embargo on Belarus, as well as sanctions against four senior (at the time) security forces officials, whom the West believes are involved in the disappearance of political opponents of Lukashenka in 1999-2000.
The EU imposed sanctions on Belarus for violation of human rights and democratic procedures in 1998. In 2006, the sanctions against Belarus were introduced by the US.
Read also: Sanctions lifted, protesters fined. Opposition leader Lyabedzka punished for solidarity
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