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Belarusian top diplomat says Minsk and EU have long way to go to patch up relations

The foreign minister notes Belarus is not a Council of Europe member and consequently did not have an opportunity to advance its initiatives within the organization’s framework

MINSK, November 22 /TASS/. Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei believes that Minsk and Brussels still have a long way to go to fully normalize their relations.

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"Despite certain positive shifts in their relations, Belarus and the European Union are still far from fully normalizing their relations," Makei stated at a joint meeting of the Russian and Belarusian Foreign Ministries on Tuesday.

"Minsk’s interaction with Brussels is much lower than that of other EU partner countries among the post-Soviet states," the Belarusian top diplomat resumed.

He noted that Belarus was not a Council of Europe member and consequently did not have an opportunity to advance its initiatives within the organization’s framework. At the same time, Makei said, Belarus managed to expand cooperation with the European Union after Europe had lifted its sanctions. In addition, negotiations are currently underway on simplifying the visa regime.

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