Diplomat: Belarus ready for constructive co-operation with the United States

Belarus has always viewed the United States as an important and promising partner, and it is ready to extend the hand of friendship – as stated by Pavel Shidlovsky, the Charge d'Affaires of Belarus in the United States, in his talk with journalists before the Foreign Ministry’s workshop for heads of Belarusian foreign institutions held in Minsk on July 15th

Answering the question of how hard it is for diplomats to work in a country that is imposing sanctions, and how the Belarusian-American relations are generally developing these days, Mr. Shidlovsky noted, “It is now difficult, and perhaps impossible, to realise the potential of co-operation that we have. The dialogue is very limited, but the potential is still available. We are in contact with the US government. At the moment, our relationship is frozen, but this has happened not because of us. We are ready for constructive interaction – naturally, on the basis of normal, kind, mutually beneficial co-operation and constructive attitude towards us. Unfortunately, this has not been observed so far. However, we do not lose hope for the best.”

According to the diplomat, in order to improve relations, it is necessary to increase the level of contacts and engage in a meaningful dialogue. “Unfortunately, Washington does not make such contacts and places obviously impossible demands on the Belarusian side. Therefore, we [Belarusian-American relations] are still on the string. It seems to me that the political will is important, and there is such a will on our part. We have always considered and still consider the United States to be an important and promising partner. We are ready to extend the hand of friendship,” he said.

Mr. Shidlovsky added that, despite the sanctions, work continues with the American analytical community, charitable structures, the circles and people who have an open mind about Belarus, contacts with it, and the situation in Ukraine. “There are such forces in the United States, but they are in the minority, sadly. Still, they exist, and they advocate for peace in the Eastern European region and support the peaceful efforts of the President of Belarus,” the diplomat noted.