BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

12/02/2008

Belarus doesn't want "Iron Curtain" with EU - Lukashenko

MINSK, February 12 (Itar-Tass) - Belarus is doing everything possible to avoid "turning the border with the European Union into a new Iron Curtain, which can be traversed only by money bags," President Alexander Lukashenko stated at the Belgosuniversitet university on Tuesday.

"We're very interested in cooperation with countries of the West, especially the European Union, which accounts for 40 percent of Belarus' exports," Lukashenko noted.

The republic unilaterally simplified the visa issue procedure for EU citizens. "We even gave up the principle of reciprocity and fixed the visa price at 25 euros instead of 60 for the citizens of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia," the president said.

Mutual respect and equality should be the basis of partnership with the European Union, Lukashenko went on to say.

He noted that several rounds of political consultations between Belarus and the EU had taken place, and that direct dialogue was taking shape in the sphere of power generation, transport and transit.

The talks on creating a full-fledged mission of the European Union are nearing completion, according to Lukashenko.

"We were not the initiators of the worsening of political relations with the European Union; European officials drove themselves into the corner in connection with the far-fetched themes of political prisoners and human rights," Lukashenko said.

But Belarussian authorities met them halfway even here, having secured early release or probation for several inmates, for which the West has special sentiments.

The president underlined that their release was not linked with the justification of the perpetrated crimes, but was explained by humane considerations. "In our relations with the West, we are the first to offer headway. It's now the European Union's turn to demonstrate its good intentions with respect to Belarus," Lukashenko said.

Source:

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=12361638&PageNum=0

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