Belarus is ready to conclude a major deal with the USA, provided that its interests are taken into account. This was stated by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, at a meeting on the global international situation and the development of Belarusian-American relations, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
Speaking about Belarusian-American relations, the President noted that the trend of resuming bilateral dialogue has gained "some positive momentum". This, according to him, has been discussed more than once, and when the time comes, the public will be informed in detail. "Perhaps the time has come to say something about this. But before saying anything about Belarusian-American relations, and especially the prospects for these relations, I would like to consult with you today," the President addressed the meeting participants.
Alexander Lukashenko recalled that a series of meetings with special envoys of the US President had taken place in Minsk recently. "Practice has shown that the Americans conduct all these contacts exclusively for pragmatic purposes," he noted. "Undoubtedly, our policy of resuming relations with the USA must also be built exclusively in Belarus's interests."
At the same time, according to the President, Belarus can make certain compromises and take the first steps towards reconciliation, expecting the Americans to fulfill their promises. This is happening, for example, in the case of the lifting of sanctions against the airline Belavia. "They announced that they are lifting sanctions from Belavia, but some 'tails' remained. Both Cherginets (Director General of the airline. - BELTA's note) and our Belavia managers state that the lifting of these sanctions does not fully free Belavia from some foolish obligations. And we cannot always and everywhere fly, repair, or purchase. The Americans acknowledge this. They say: it will take some time to eliminate these 'tails'. Fine," explained Alexander Lukashenko.
"We will be awaiting their global proposals, a grand bargain, as they like to say (they do love these grand bargains). We are ready for this. We are ready to conclude a grand bargain with them. On one side of the scale are their questions, requests, and demands, and on the other side are our questions and demands. Shall we resolve it? Let's resolve it. We are ready for this. I absolutely assess Donald Trump's proposals in this regard as normal. But our interests must also be taken into account. And everything must be fair, as we once agreed with the Americans," Alexander Lukashenko noted.