BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

26/06/2009

Lukashenko: Belarus wants close ties with Europe

By YURAS KARMANAU

Associated Press

The Belarusian president accused Russia on Thursday of trying to subdue his nation through trade sanctions and said Belarus will seek closer economic ties with Europe.

Alexander Lukashenko said in televised comments that a recent Russian ban on the import of dairy products from Belarus had hurt ties between the two ex-Soviet neighbors. The move dealt a heavy blow to Belarus' agricultural sector, which employs one out of ten Belarusians.

"They wanted to inflict the maximum pain," Lukashenko said of the Russian move, which he cast as part of Moscow's efforts to win control over Belarusian milk factories.

Russia and Belarus have an accord envisaging close political, economic and military ties, and they declared a joint goal of building a single state. But Lukashenko has resisted Russian attempts to take control of key Belarusian industrial assets, and he has criticized Russia for trying to strong-arm his nation.

The Russian ban on Belarusian dairy products was lifted last week, but a potentially more troubling energy conflict looms.

Lukashenko said Thursday that Russian oil companies were pushing to control Belarusian oil refineries. He said his government is ready to discuss offers if they are fair.

Belarus is desperate for cash, as the global financial crisis has drained its hard-currency reserves. Russia agreed to lend Belarus $2 billion, but the transfer of the final $500 installment has been held up indefinitely.

Lukashenko said his nation needs to build up ties with the European Union because of Russian attempts to control Belarus.

"They are putting pressure on us at the Russian market, forcing us to search for other markets," he said.

Earlier this week, Lukashenko hosted EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who said the European Union stands ready to expand cooperation with Belarus.

The EU this year formed a so-called "Eastern Partnership" with Belarus and five other former Soviet republics, offering closer economic and political ties in exchange for a commitment to democracy.

Belarus was invited to join after it freed all political prisoners, allowed the opposition to participate in elections and allowed two independent newspapers to operate.

Despite the goodwill, Ferrero-Waldner said Monday that Belarus still had some way to go to meet Western democratic standards.

Source:

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=986963&lang=eng_news

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