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Foreign Minister Makey emphasizes importance of positive atmosphere at Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius

The Third Eastern Partnership Summit was very important because of its positive atmosphere, Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey told reporters Friday in Vilnius following the event.

"We did not and do not expect any breakthrough things from the summit, but it [the summit] was very important because of its positive context and its positive atmosphere," Mr. Makey said. "The very atmosphere of the summit creates opportunities for further steps to be taken to normalize our relations with the EU and even to further deepen and expand our cooperation,"

Belarus has proposed a number of projects that could be carried out within the framework of the Eastern Partnership, Mr. Makey noted. "They [projects] should be people-oriented," he said. "Any initiative is beneficial only if common people can feel its usefulness. People should get specific benefits from participation in one project or another."

"Unfortunately, we have not yet participated in a bilateral track within the framework of the Eastern Partnership," Mr. Makey said. "We were isolated because of certain problems, but we participate in a multilateral track and have always told our European partners that negative steps should not be taken with regard to Belarus."

Belarus makes a "significant contribution to stability and security in Europe," Mr. Makey noted.

"Europe does not have any problems with the transportation of hydrocarbons from Russia," he said. "We do not have any territorial claims and we combat cross-border crimes, illegal migration and human trafficking. All this is Belarus' contribution to European security. Nobody can deny it. So we should sit down at the negotiating table, discuss existing problems and look for a solution in a constructive manner." //BelaPAN