Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Johannes Hahn (phot. belta.by)
Belarus is a vocal supporter of a strong EU, president Alyaksandr Lukashenka said when meeting with European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn.
The top EU official is visiting Belarus on Tuesday. He is expected to discuss with the Belarusian leadership and the opposition forces (separately) Belarus-EU relations, human rights and regional cooperation.
“We are dead set against centrifugal forces in the EU that are weakening it,” Lukashenka said.
However, according to him, it is important to prevent the Eastern Partnership initiative from turning into a ‘politicized’ organization.
“And it is inadmissible to make the Eastern Partnership member states view this belt as a dividing zone between the European Union and Russia, China, the East. We pay great attention to our cooperation within the framework of this organization. You can count on us in this regard. Our wish is to make the Eastern Partnership a more down-to-earth and practice-oriented organization,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes the Belarusian leader.
The aim of the visit is to put ito action some decisions taken November’s EaP summit.
In October, the European Union expressed readiness to welcome Belarus president Alyaksandr Lukashenka at the summit. It was the first time he had received a personal invitation to the Brussels. For years, the Belarusian leader had been denied entry to EU member coutries. However, the Belarusian delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey. The reason for such a decision was not given.
