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Belarus-EU relations to be discussed in Brussels next week

The second round of a technical dialogue between Belarus and the European Union will be held in Brussels next week to discuss bilateral relations, Maira Mora, head of the EU Delegation to Belarus, said during a conference Wednesday in Minsk.

The conference focused on cooperation between Belarus and the EU amid integration within the post-Soviet region to form a Eurasian Union.

Belarus-EU relations were once much better off, but they have improved since this past spring, Ms. Mora said, apparently referring to a diplomatic conflict that saw all EU ambassadors leave Belarus for several weeks.

Ms. Mora described the release of the political prisoners and the restoration of their rights as the main condition for rapprochement.

The Belarusian government would also send a positive signal to the European Union by agreeing to participate in its program called the European Dialogue on Modernization with Belarus, she said. Only Belarusian opposition forces are currently involved in the program, she added.

Relations between Belarus and the European Union continue to develop despite being strained, Ms. Mora concluded. //BelaPAN