Belarus has no desire to join the European Union for now. Belarus would like to see the European Union as a colleague able to help out in a complicated situation. Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Oleg Kravchenko made the statement during the seminar Reassessing Sovereignty in Today's World on 28 March, BelTA has learned. The seminar was arranged by the expert initiative Minsk Dialogue.
According to the diplomat, the Belarusian side expects relations with the European Union to develop successfully since the two sides are connected by common interests. Apart from that, the European Union is Belarus' second most important trade partner.
“We would like to get a colleague, who can help out in a complicated situation,” Oleg Kravchenko said. “The European Union should view us as a neighbor, not a country willing to join the European Union because we have no such desire for now.”