The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes the importance of promptly commencing negotiations on a new framework agreement between Belarus and the European Union. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Oleg Kravchenko at a meeting with members of the Working Party on Eastern Europe and Central Asia (COEST) of the Council of the EU on Foreign Affairs, as reported to BELTA by the MFA press service.
Representatives from Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, France, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Estonia, and the European External Action Service were present at the meeting in Minsk.
The participants discussed the state of political dialogue and sectoral cooperation between Belarus and the European Union, Belarus's participation in the EU's "Eastern Partnership" initiative, the implementation of European Union international technical assistance projects in Belarus, as well as the situation in the Eastern European region.
"Oleg Kravchenko presented Belarus's vision of prospects for relations with the European Union to the COEST delegation. He emphasised the importance of the prompt lifting of remaining EU sanctions and the commencement of negotiations on a new framework agreement. He outlined the Belarusian side's approaches to restoring trust and de-escalating tensions in the region. He advocated for the development of direct dialogue between the EAEU and the EU, leading to the formation of a common economic space," the MFA informed.
It is planned that the COEST delegation will also hold negotiations with the leadership of the National Assembly, the Ministries of Economy, Finance, Justice, Education, and the Central Election Commission.
COEST is a standing working body for developing Council of the EU on Foreign Affairs decisions concerning cooperation with post-Soviet countries. This structure includes staff from the diplomatic missions of EU member states accredited to its governing bodies in Brussels. The previous visit of COEST members to Belarus took place in June 2015.