MINSK, May 26. /TASS/. Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei has stated that the aggravated sanctions pressure on the republic will hinder the further participation of the country in the EU Eastern Partnership initiative.
"Against the background of the escalated sanctions pressure, the further participation of our country in the Eastern Partnership may become meaningless. Without Belarus, this initiative also becomes meaningless," the top diplomat said at the Belarusian president's meeting at the parliament with lawmakers, the members of the Constitutional Commission, and the representatives of the bodies of state administration on Wednesday, as quoted by the BelTA news agency.
According to him, "recently, well-known pranksters very vividly demonstrated the mechanism of financing of the sabotaging forces of Belarus and Russia."
The minister reported that Minsk is considering the possibility of suspending the "interaction with the European Union on the issues of fighting illegal migration and organized crime, the restrictions may also include political funds, humanitarian programs, non-governmental organizations operating on the territory of Belarus." "Other response measures are being considered," the top diplomat said, noting that the further escalation of the situation won't result in anything positive, everyone would lose.
"If European politicians have no responsibility for the fates of their citizens and the states' long-term interests, then we will rely on the interests of our people who have always wanted to live in peace and tranquility," he noted. At the same time, the minister urged the European partners to stop "attacks on the sovereignty of a neighboring country." "There isn't only an information war being waged on Belarus but also an economic, hybrid war," he stressed.