Belarus’ Foreign Minister, Vladimir Makei, who took part in the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga, explains that Belarus has added a special statement to the declaration

Belarus’ Foreign Minister, Vladimir Makei, who took part in the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga, explains that Belarus has added a special statement to the declaration. “It’s a written statement that we’ve asked to add as an official document,” specifies the official, stating that the aim is to make the document ‘constructive and future-oriented’. “You can call it a proviso. To avoid making any emotional statements is vital; the statement may be entertaining but building a path to the future is what matters.”


Mr. Makei explains, “Unfortunately, some of our partners believe that loud emotional statements can resolve problems, while we believe these require persistent, huge efforts on a daily basis. They’ve tried to include some high-sounding accusatory statements within the final declaration of the Riga summit, placing the blame for difficulties within the Eastern Partnership at external doors. This simply isn’t correct, as we cannot blame purely external factors. Much depends on the European Union; before accusing others, it’s wise to examine yourself.”

Mr. Makei also pointed out that, during the Eastern Partnership Summit, in Vilnius in 2013, the then Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was told that Ukraine either had to sign the agreement on association with the European Union or stay ‘elsewhere’. “Not only external factors have driven the Eastern Partnership to breaking point today,” urges Mr. Makei. “The fact has to be openly recognised. It was clearly voiced by our statement at the summit.”

The declaration’s text praises Belarus’ contribution to negotiations on the Ukrainian crisis, and offers full support towards the OSCE and its efforts, taken through a special monitoring mission and a trilateral contact group. It also supports the diplomatic efforts of the ‘Normandy Four’ and praises Belarus’ contribution to the promotion of negotiations. All sides are called upon to completely fulfil the agreements reached in Minsk in September 2014 and in February 2015. The document also mentions progress in Belarus-EU relations, which tackle liberalisation of the visa regime and inclusion of Belarus in the Bologna Process. Belarus hopes that it will soon enjoy a new level of relations with the European Union, as underlined by Mr. Makei at the plenary session of the Riga summit. He stated, “The Eastern Partnership has been instrumental in revitalising, to some extent, dialogue and interaction between Belarus and the EU. Since the Vilnius summit, we have achieved some progress in our relations and have engaged in a number of new tracks, including consultations on modernisation issues and negotiations on visa facilitation and readmission agreements. We’ve concluded a co-operative arrangement on an early warning mechanism in the field of energy and anticipate the Partnership for Mobility project. Our potential for co-operation remains largely untapped though.”