Andreichenko: Belarus-Switzerland relations have always developed pragmatically and constructively
This was stated by Chairman of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko as he met the appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation to the Republic of Belarus, Christine Honegger Zolotukhin, BelTA reports
“In my opinion, the relations between our countries, regardless of the political situation, have always developed pragmatically and constructively. This was especially noticeable in recent years, when our inter-parliamentary, trade-economic and cultural collaboration developed very positively,” noted Mr. Andreichenko. “I recall with great warmth my visit to your beautiful country in February 2018. We then held a number of productive meetings with high and top leadership of your state. A number of agreements were reached. Most importantly, these agreements were then successfully implemented. Our trade-economic interaction has also begun to increase very actively, exceeding $300m. We also boasted liaisons in culture and sports. There were even two hockey matches: one in Minsk with the participation of the President of our country, the second one took place in Switzerland. Of course, a number of Swiss companies appeared in Belarus. That is, our co-operation was developing against such a good background.”
The speaker underlined that, unfortunately, this has all slowed down recently. “I think that Belarus is not to blame here, and I don’t want to blame one side or the other today. This is my personal opinion: this is still the result of the US policy, which is actively pushing its interests in Europe to the detriment of the other states’ interests, without taking into account any international obligations. Meanwhile, I think that time will put everything in its place,” he said. “Working in the Republic of Belarus, you should remember one thing: Belarus has always been and remains a supporter of peace, stability and security. We want the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to be resolved as quickly as possible. Of course, we are ready to co-operate with your country across all areas. I would like to wish you successful work in the Republic of Belarus, so that we can find new points of contact as soon as possible, entering into some efficient contacts. In general, I would like we expand the Belarusian-Swiss relations, enabling our joint work to contribute to strengthening peace and stability in Europe.”
“I remember your visit to Switzerland very well. We were very pleased that our relations are developing so well, actively and dynamically. I am personally very glad that we were able to open our embassy,” added the Ambassador. “This year, we celebrate the 30th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations. It shows that we were initially convinced that your country is important and that we need relationships with you.”
