BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
11/03/2008
President Says Belarus Has Never Disappointed Europe
President Lukashenka on March 10 told a group of British legislators and businesspeople that "Belarus has never let Europe down, and we would like to be treated appropriately," Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. "Prospects for relations between Belarus and the EU will depend on whether the European Union's foreign policy is independent of the United States," Lukashenka said. He noted that 20 percent of the natural gas and 40 percent of the crude oil Europe receives from Russia are delivered through Belarus. "I believe the European Union has the right idea of Belarus's role in Europe. Unfortunately, the prospects for relations between Belarus and the European Union do not lie exclusively in the Europe-Belarus sphere," Lukashenka said. "I want to assure you that all agreements that we will reach will be kept inviolate.... You will get full support for work in the Belarusian market," he added. AM
Source:
http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/03/3-cee/cee-110308.asp
Archive
