MINSK, 29 March (BelTA) – Belarus is ready to forget all offences of the past and to start productive cooperation with the USA not only in economic matters but other ones, too, said President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on 29 March as he met with top executives of several US companies.
Alexander Lukashenko places special hopes for normalizing the relations on the new USA administration. “I am inclined to think that President Obama has a more adequate and democratic outlook, unburdened by relics of the cold war and aggressive ideological approaches in dealing with international matters,” said the Belarusian head of state.
Alexander Lukashenko said that he liked Barack Obama’s statement made in the UN a lot: “We can no longer afford indulging in our differences… We should enter a new era of relations based on mutual interests and mutual respect”. The Belarus President stressed that the approach is fully compliant with the principles of international cooperation Belarus uses. “We have already started careful negotiations with the present administration and are ready to offer a hand of friendship to partners in America,” said Alexander Lukashenko. The President, however, doubted that a civilized, truly effective dialogue can exist if one of the sides is under open pressure. “Our country is interested in promoting full-fledged mutually beneficial productive relations with the world’s most powerful country. But they should rely on non-interference in another state’s domestic affairs, mutual respect and trust,” stressed Alexander Lukashenko.
The Belarus President said he regrets that Belarus-USA relations have been developing quite irregularly over the last several decades and “were quite often in a state of deplorable estrangement”. “But I would like to stress it wasn’t Belarus’ fault,” remarked the head of state.
According to the President, the pinpoint economic sanctions used by George W. Bush’s administration against several Belarusian companies still maintain a negative background for the development of the entire complex of trade and economic ties between the two countries. “I believe it doesn’t suit the USA to resort to open economic blackmail of the still emerging sovereign state,” said Alexander Lukashenko.
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