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Lukashenka speaks by phone with EU foreign policy chief

Alyaksandr Lukashenka on September 24 had a telephone conversation with Javier Solana, the European Union’s high representative for the common foreign and security policy, said the press office of the Belarusian leader, BelaPAN said.

According to the press office, under discussion were a number of issues concerning the internal political situation in Belarus and the entire spectrum of relations between the country and the European Union. The importance of opening a new page in the Belarus-EU relationship was emphasized, the press office said.

Messrs. Lukashenka and Solana reportedly agreed to continue the dialogue after the high representative’s return from New York, where he was attending a session of the UN General Assembly, the press office said.

Following an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Avignon, France, in early September, Dr. Solana told reporters that he had a long telephone conversation with Belarusian Foreign Minister Syarhey Martynaw after political prisoners had been released in the country.

In mid-August, the EU foreign policy chief welcomed the release of former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin. "The release of all political prisoners has been a constant focus in discussions between the EU and the Belarusian authorities,” Dr Solana then said in a statement. He expressed hope that the release of Dr. Kazulin would help the European Union and Belarus engage in a “mutually beneficial manner," and that the conduct of this year's parliamentary elections in Belarus would give “further impetus" to building closer ties between the European Union and Belarus.

On September 20, Mr. Lukashenka told reporters that if the elections were not recognized as democratic, the Belarusian authorities would stop any talks with the West.

While accepting credentials from the ambassadors of a number of EU member states three days later, Mr. Lukashenka expressed hope that Belarus’ relations with the West would become very close after the country’s September 28 legislative elections.

However, he stressed that Belarus “won’t crawl on all fours to beg for admission into the European family.”