Belarus took part in the inaugural summit of the EU Eastern Partnership programme

On 7 May, the Belarusian delegation led by First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko and Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov took part in the inaugural Summit of the EU Eastern Partnership programme in Prague.

In a plenary meeting, Belarus voiced its position on co-operation with the EU within the Eastern Partnership framework. The head of the Belarusian delegation noted in a statement that the Eastern Partnership should be based on the principles of equality, due account of the interests and specifics of each participating country. The Eastern Partnership should not be an instrument of fighting for the spheres of influence but serve the interests of all countries in the region and prevent dividing lines in Europe. For implementation within the Eastern Partnership, Belarus presented a number of investment projects, that are of priority for Belarus, in transit infrastructure, energy and in bringing customs and border control regulations closer to the EU standards.

The Summit approved a final Declaration that set out key areas of co-operation between the EU and the Eastern Partnership’s participating countries. The Declaration was elaborated with Belarus’ active involvement and meets the Belarusian interests.

The Belarusian delegation had meetings with Secretary General of the Council of the European Union and EU Supreme Representative on Foreign and Security Policy Xavier Solana and European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner that focused on relations between Belarus and the EU. The two sides exchanged duplicates of Declaration on Cooperation between the Government of Belarus and the European Commission in Energy. The Declaration is aimed at enhancing Belarusian energy security and larger engagement of Belarus in pan-European energy projects.

The Belarusian delegation also held negotiations with Foreign Minister of Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos that featured discussion of bilateral relations and co-operation within the Eastern Partnership.

During his visit to Prague, Vladimir Semashko had meetings with major businesses and banks representatives of the Czech Republic that concentrated on co-operation projects in energy, machinery, petrochemistry and logistics.

Notes:

The Eastern Partnership initiative adopted by the European Union on 20 March 2009 was designed to enhance versatile co-operation between EU and Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on an equal and non-discriminatory footing.

The Eastern Partnership first summit in Prague on 7 May 2009 officially launched the initiative.

print version