Any delays in settling the conflict in Ukraine make the threat of its conservation increasingly more realistic, says Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei.
“The longer the conflict’s definitive settlement is delayed, the stronger its own inertia becomes, which complicates the resolution of the situation. The threat of its transformation into a frozen condition is quite realistic,” the Belarusian Foreign Ministry quoted Makei as saying.
Both the Minsk I and Minsk II agreements became possible due to the desire of all of the parties involved sitting at the negotiating table, Makei said. “These were difficult, but extremely essential, first steps toward settling the situation,” he said.
The dynamics of modern events shows vividly, that the ability to continue dialogue, however difficult it might seem sometimes, is equally important to settle the conflict, he said.
“Therefore, actual, daily, tangible, small steps toward de-escalation, and settlement, are needed now. It’s necessary to continuously form a critical mass of changes that meets everyone’s expectations, and would lead to the establishment of peace in the region,” Makei said.
The modern world needs the logic of creation and merger, rather than separation and competition, Makei said. “The existence of various views on domestic political processes and foreign political benchmarks should not produce confrontation and new dividing lines,” he said.
“On the contrary, the employment of every state’s resources and advantages, as much as possible, may serve as an important contribution to the creation of a strong and prospering Europe. We see this in the imminent and tangible implementation of the idea of integration of integrations. In our view, this meets the interests of Russia, Ukraine, and the EU countries,” he said.
In addition, traditions of Belarus’s statehood based on a centuries-long record of developing relations with its neighbors, both in the East and in the West, have, in large part, determined the Belarusian people’s predisposition to peace and accord, and the creative vector of the country’s foreign policy, Makei said. “This is what engenders our sincere desire to make everything possible to ensure stability and security in the region, and settle the situation in Ukraine as soon as possible,” he said.
