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Eastern Partnership program creates framework for development of EU-Belarus dialogue, Spanish ambassador says

The Eastern Partnership program creates a framework for the active development of a dialogue between Belarus and the EU, Juan Antonio March Pujol, the visiting Moscow-based ambassador of Spain, the current EU presidency, told reporters in Minsk on February 2, BelaPAN said.

Spain views cooperation with Eastern Europe as very important, the diplomat said.

He noted that the EU was ready to expand relations with Belarus in all spheres but the latter should display the same degree of readiness.

Mr. Pujol welcomed the big number of Eastern Partnership projects proposed by Belarus, which he said are being studied.

Referring to recent changes in the lineup of the European Commission, Mr. Pujol suggested that some of the new commissioners would want to visit Belarus.

Jean-Eric Holzapfel, charge d’affaires of the European Commission delegation in the country, noted at the news conference that there was active EU-Belarus cooperation in the energy sphere, environmental protection and cross-border regional development.

He stressed that there would be broader cooperation on many subjects if Belarus were a full-fledged member of the European Union's European Neighborhood Policy.

Hungarian Ambassador Ferenc Kontra said that a delegation of Belarusian lawmakers had been invited to attend a meeting of the Visegrad Group in Budapest, which also would be attended by delegations representing the other five ex-Soviet states involved in the Eastern Partnership. Belarusian Foreign Minister Syarhey Martynaw is expected to meet with his counterparts at a similar meeting in the Hungarian capital in early March.