MINSK, April 10. /ITAR-TASS/. Belarus hopes for the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations aimed at settling the Ukrainian crisis, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Dmitry Mironchik, told a briefing on Thursday.

“Belarus is interested in establishing peace and stability in Ukraine,” he said. “We will do our best to maintain and develop relations with that country.”

Mironchik said it was the prerogative of the countries involved - first of all, of Russia and Ukraine - to choose the format of talks to settle the Ukrainian crisis, adding that Belarus did not claim to take the lead role in the Ukrainian settlement. He said Belarus had always been focused on strengthening good-neighborly relations in the post-Soviet space, also during its planned presidency in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), uniting former Soviet republics, in 2013.

“We consider it necessary under the current conditions to maintain the existing potential of the CIS,” he said, noting that Belarus, which had also assumed the CIS presidency in 2014, would do everything possible to ensure a balanced dialogue and to find practical solutions that are acceptable for everyone.