Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday met with Stefan Fule, the EU commissioner for enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy, and Helga Schmidt, deputy secretary general of the European External Action Service.
Belarus believes that all controversial issues should be settled through a peaceful dialogue, without dictation or pressure, Mr. Makey said during the meeting, according to the press office of the Belarusian foreign ministry.
He called for "further involving Belarus in European integration processes, which would meet the interests of both Belarus and the European Union."
While in Tbilisi, Mr. Makey took part in the second round of the Informal Eastern Partnership Dialogue at the level of the foreign ministers of the participating countries of the European Union's Eastern Partnership program. He stressed that the fundamental principles of the Eastern Partnership program should be followed, that the interests of all participating countries should be taken into consideration, and that the program should be further filled with "practical content."
The Belarusian delegation put forward a number of specific proposals regarding the forthcoming summit of the Eastern Partnership program to be held in Vilnius in November, including proposals for drawing up a list of "strategic projects" and developing the business dimension of the program, the press office said.
The foreign ministers also discussed international issues, such as the situation in Mali, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.
According to the press office, Mr. Makey met with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and expressed gratitude to him for "the support that Georgia provides to Belarus in the international arena, including within the framework of the Eastern Partnership." Messrs. Makey and Saakashvili also discussed a number of issues relating to bilateral cooperation between Belarus and Georgia, the press office said.
