Russia has not attempted to impede the development of relations between Belarus and the European Union, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Alexander Surikov said on Thursday, concluding his diplomatic mission in Minsk.
MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th August, 2018) Russia has not attempted to impede the development of relations between Belarus and the European Union, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Alexander Surikov said on Thursday, concluding his diplomatic mission in Minsk.
"We are living in a global world ... We are holding this position and do not hamper in any way [the EU-Belarusian relations]. We are just witnessing quietly Belarus developing its relations with the West," Surikov told reporters.
Surikov added that, despite the fact that Russia's dialogue with the Western countries was not always successful, he believed that the improvements in that direction would anyway take place.
"We are neighbors, we [live] on the same continent, take it or leave it," Surikov said.
The relations between Minsk and Brussels have improved recently against the backdrop of Belarus participating in settling of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The European Union has lifted almost all sanctions against Minsk, which have been in effect for about 20 years, except for several restrictions, in particular, a ban on arms supplies to the country.
