OREANDA-NEWS. June 22, 2009. Belarus sincerely wishes to build good relations with the European Union, said the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, on 22 June as he met with the European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, reported the Official website president.gov.by.

Alexander Lukashenko said he has always been a supporter of frank politics, and suggested ‘to have an absolutely frank and candid talk’. ‘Recently there have appeared policy makers in the EU who think that Lukashenko is playing some kind of game with Europe, that he is not going to change anything in his country and in relations with Europe. Throughout the years of my presidency, I have never allowed myself to act dishonestly,’ said Alexander Lukashenko. ‘Maybe I do not look like a diplomat, but I think that politics should be frank. One should always tell the truth, even if one finds it disadvantageous for oneself today, because lies will be uncovered one day anyway, and to find a way out of the situation will be very difficult,’ he said.
Alexander Lukashenko said to Benita Ferrero-Waldner that he was ready to answer all her questions, ‘even if the questions are very inconvenient’.

The President said that Belarus would like to build normal relations with the European Union, since Europe is Belarus’ neighbour; a half of Belarus’ exports are bound for the EU, with Belarus enjoying trade surplus. The European Union is highly technological, and Belarus has a high-tech economy, therefore the EU is critical for Belarus to continue its economic growth, said Alexander Lukashenko. ‘What do we want from Europe? We want the Europeans to understand that Belarus is not only the geographical centre of the continent. Very decent, frank, and hard-working people live here; there is an independent sovereign state here, and we will not let anyone infringe on that, no matter how much somebody wants it,’ said the Head of State. Belarus also attaches high significance to cooperation with the EU in the area of finance and credits.

Alexander Lukashenko thanked Benita Ferrero-Waldner for visiting Belarus in spite of her busy schedule. He said their meeting was very important, for much depended on it. ‘We sincerely wish to build good relations with you, though somebody may not like it,’ said the Belarusian leader.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner said she was the first EU Commissioner to ever visit Belarus, and that her visit was symbolic as it was a testimony to the potential of the Belarus-EU relationship.

Belarus lies at the intersection of European routes, she said, and therefore Belarus-EU interaction should be ‘a two-way street’.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the EU member states had asked Belarus to respond to a number of requests, and Belarus did respond to some of them. ‘The steps you have taken have allowed the Europeans to rethink their approach to your country,’ she said. ‘If there is willingness on your side, there will be readiness on ours to build up cooperation,’ she added. The European Union respects Belarus’ sovereignty, knows its history, and understands how difficult it is to be a linking bridge between the East and the West, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said.