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Business dimension of Eastern Partnership can help cooperation in other areas, says Belarusian economy minister

The business dimension of the Eastern Partnership should become the main one because it can help cooperation in other areas, Belarusian Economy Minister Mikalay Snapkow told reporters in Vilnius on November 28 prior to the Eastern Partnership Business Forum.

"The transfer of knowledge and technologies is much more important that demanding compliance with the rules and norms of behavior that exist in the European Union," Mr. Snapkow said.

Cooperation between Belarus and the EU would be far more productive if economic cooperation formed the backbone of the Eastern Partnership, he noted.

Mr. Snapkow stressed that Belarus and the European Union had no difference of opinion on business issues. "We should do what we`re doing—meeting with ministers, finding contacts, our business associations are talking and finding common ground," he said. "The nature of investment in our country and the nature of our investment in EU countries indicate that there`re no disagreements here."

Mr. Snapkow cited the construction of a Stadler train plant in the Minsk region and a Kronospan woodworking plant in the Mahilyow Free Economic Zone as examples of successful investment projects by foreign companies.

"Political issues are very subjective," he said. "They need a comfortable environment, skilled labor and markets for their products. Belarus has all of that." //BelaPAN