Фото: БелТА
Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Ihar Sakreta has voiced support for normalising relations with Germany. He made the remarks at a meeting with a delegation of politicians and activists from Brandenburg.
“Belarus would like to have normal relations with Germany. But it is important to understand that we are not begging for anything or standing with our hand outstretched. Normalisation is necessary, but not at any cost — including at the expense of relations with our closest allies and partners, primarily Russia and China, or by creating threats to our domestic stability,” he said, BelTA reported.
Sakreta also stressed that restoring trust between Minsk and Berlin would not be easy.
“Today, we find ourselves amid the ruins of what was built over decades,” Sakreta said, adding that sanctions had halted air and rail links, caused bilateral trade to collapse, severed government, industry and regional ties, undermined contacts in sports, culture, tourism and other areas, and restricted people-to-people contacts.
The deputy minister also accused the German side of undoing the extensive reconciliation efforts undertaken in the post-war years.
He also addressed the deployment of a German brigade in Lithuania. According to BelTA, Sakreta noted that a tank brigade designated as the 45th would be deployed in the neighbouring country. The same number was borne by the infantry division that attacked Brest on June 22, 1941.
“Compare the prices of petrol and electricity in Belarus and Germany. Ask Belarusians how much they pay for utilities and public transport. Look at how many new, state-of-the-art schools, hospitals, swimming pools, sports complexes and metro stations the so-called ‘dictatorship’ has built during the years of sanctions. Then draw your own conclusions,” he told the German guests.
He also assured them that although sanctions were creating obstacles, the Belarusian economy was showing positive growth.
“Yes, sanctions hinder our development and are unwelcome. But time has shown that Belarus can develop without close cooperation with the EU and Germany in particular. Almost no critical dependencies remain. The world is vast, and Minsk’s expanding cooperation with countries of the Global Majority is yielding positive results,” he said.
Sakreta said the crisis in relations between the Belarusian authorities and Germany was not the result of any unfriendly actions by Minsk towards Berlin or the EU, but rather a consequence of “unilateral, destructive actions by Brussels that grossly violate international law.”
“We know that, despite the utterly unscrupulous anti-Belarusian propaganda and the flood of lies about Belarus in the German media, there are many people in Germany who think critically and are genuine friends of Belarus. I hope this visit will make an important contribution to restoring contacts and mutual trust between Belarus and Germany, and to strengthening the bonds of friendship between Belarusians and Germans,” he added.