Transcript of the Press Availability of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Sergei Martynov following the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov to the Republic of Belarus (August 15, 2012, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

15/18/2012

Sergei Martynov: Yesterday and today we welcomed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, who was in the Republic of Belarus with a traditional, planned working visit. We organize such visits every year to both countries alternately, and in the same way, as you know, we alternately organize joint sessions of the Boards of Ministries of Foreign Affairs of our states.

During the talks we discussed the whole range of bilateral relations between Belarus and Russia, our cooperation in various integration formats – from the Union State of Belarus and Russia to the Customs Union, Common Economic Space, Eurasian Economic Community, Collective Security Treaty Organization, and Commonwealth of Independent States. We also thoroughly considered the issues of our interaction within international and regional organizations – from the OSCE to the United Nations. We agreed on the specifics of cooperation on all groups of issues that I mentioned. We reached the agreement on holding the next joint meeting of the Boards, which will take place before the end of this year in Minsk, and tentatively discussed its topics.

In general, both sides noted, that relationship between Belarus and Russia – and this year we are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries – are characterized by profoundness, fraternal nature, strategic partnership and cooperation, as well as high dynamics of the contacts at the highest, high and other levels. This is also reflected in the results of economic cooperation between the two countries, first of all in foreign trade and, as you know, last year we have achieved almost $40 billion turnover in bilateral trade. These are the results of bilateral cooperation within our integration processes.

We expect that cooperation between our two countries will continue to be characterized by a deep, comprehensive, fraternal and partnership nature, and we as the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs will continue to work hard on it, including in our area, coordinating a program of joint actions and annual plans of consultations.

“Rossiyskaya gazeta”: Now it is absolutely clear that Belarus is subject to unprecedented pressure. From your point of view, what kind of support could Russia provide to Minsk in this confrontation, especially given the fact that the pressure comes from the European Union, which is today one of the largest trading partners, also for Russia. And the question is, first of all, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus: what kind of support do you expect from the Russian side and did you discuss this issue today during the negotiations?

Sergei Martynov: What concerns our cooperation and the campaign of pressure that is exerted on the Republic of Belarus at the moment, of course, we touched upon this topic. I would like to emphasize that that Belarus does not accept the policy of sanctions, threats, dictate and blackmail. At the same time we deem necessary normal, even, constructive relations with the European Union and other partners. Also I would like to note, that the European Union is a major trade partner of Belarus, the same as it is for Russia.

Concerning the forms of support, they are quite obvious. First of all, it is our strategic partnership itself. Our relationships within the existing structures of the Union State and Customs Union, Common Economic Space offer an opportunity for Belarus to work efficiently and confidently from the economic point of view, and to support our economy and the welfare of our population. First of all I mean cooperation with our closest economic partners, as well as all over the world. And of course, the work of Belarus with Russia and other partners in the Collective Security Treaty Organization is an important factor as well, which is taken into consideration.

“BELTA” Telegraph Agency: Belarus and Russia have recently ratified a law on the Free Trade Zone. What does this treaty offer to our countries?

Sergei Martynov: By its definition, the Free Trade Zone offers much more space for the development of all forms of cooperation, first of all in economic and trade area, and the agreement, which was signed within the CIS, is not an exception. This is the agreement, which sets the free trade principles on the new, contemporary level, and since the range of this agreement extends to the entire territory of the CIS, we expect a significant synergy effect of this agreement.

“ONT”: This year is marked by the twentieth anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. What are the major milestones in the external policy of this period?

Sergei Martynov: First of all, it is the very fact of establishing the diplomatic relations between our two countries, the twentieth anniversary of which we are celebrating and to which the visit of my Russian colleague to Minsk is dedicated. Shared understanding by both countries of the need of the integration efforts also was one of the most important milestones of our relationships; the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States provided a new form of cooperation on the territory of the former Soviet Union. And then, of course, there are much more advanced forms of our bilateral integration, the peak of which is the Union State. If we move from purely bilateral cooperation, there is a serious deepening of economic integration in the format of the Customs Union, now Common Economic Space and prospective Eurasian Economic Union. And a clear understanding, that the future, or more precisely, the favorable future of our space is connected, first of all, with strategic partnership relations and deep integration processes.

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