... presidency of the Republic of Belarus in the Central European Initiative.
On December 10–12, 2017, Minsk hosted “The European Union and its Eastern Partners: Current Approaches to Regional Cooperation” forum in the framework of presidency of the Republic of Belarus in the Central European Initiative.
The forum was organized by
Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe
, CFA,... ... cooperation with over 10 European research and expert organizations.
The key aim of the Forum was to discuss the prospects for Eastern Partnership development given the results of the Summit in Brussels on November 24, 2017, and the opportunities for cooperation ...
... sort of “de-conflicting” diplomacy.
It is important for Russia to have Belarus, its military and economic ally, pursue a predictable foreign policy.
If Brussels’... ... stabilization and differentiation (i.e. the use of tailor-made approaches with the Eastern Partnership member states), are implemented, there will be a real possibility... ... to have a dialogue with the EEU indicates the preservation of the status quo in the European Union’s eastern policy, which could have been amended if the two blocs...
... at the political level. What is more, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus
initially did not even acknowledge
the existence of the programme. This is why one would have been forgiven for thinking that the rapprochement between Belarus and the European Union in the spring of 2014 was of a temporary and accidental nature. However, preparations for the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga showed that Brussels had become increasingly interested in Belarus despite numerous failed attempts in the past to integrate it into Europe. For its part, Minsk seemed equally interested in intensifying economic relations ...
