Transcript of comments by Belarus Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov following a working visit to Belarus of Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, MFA, 30 September 2009

Sergei Martynov: Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy and my colleague Franco Frattini is visiting us. The two Ministers held negotiations followed by a meeting with the President of the Republic of Belarus which also saw substantive negotiations. The Foreign Minister also held negotiations with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus.

Today during these contacts, we agreed on those steps that should and will be taken to further deepen the relationship between Belarus and Italy. You may have witnessed the moves in the Belarus-Italy relationship that took place after the visit of the President of Belarus to Italy.

We agreed on further steps over high-level visits, visits of economic nature and over deeper co-operation in trade and economy. In particular, we discussed with the Minister the advisability of setting up in Belarus of an industrial area or industrial zone of Italy that would embrace Italian enterprises operating in banking, etc.

We also discussed the prospects and possibilities of a deeper relationship in education – we have just signed a declaration on that matter – and in broader sense in culture.

Certainly, we also discussed such issues as the relationship between Belarus and the European Union and issues of our co-operation in this area and in area of the UN and UN system.

Corriere della Sera: I would like to ask a question concerning the current discussion in the Parliament of Belarus over the death penalty. Where can this discussion lead to: an abolition of the death penalty or a moratorium?

Sergei Martynov: I cannot anticipate considerations or moreover decisions of the Parliament over this or that issue. However, I would like to inform that a possibility of setting up a permanent working group to consider this matter is being discussed now. This discussion has already started in the society, with live TV programmes featuring electronic voting on this issue. With respect to a decision on the termination in this or that form, either a full abolition of the death penalty or a moratorium, any decisions should be formulated with due respect of the existing decision of the nationwide referendum. And a decision of a nationwide referendum can only be dismissed by a decision taken during a nationwide referendum. Whether any temporary measures on this way are possible the Parliament will decide accordingly.