Alena Kupchyna: Belarus does not seek to enter EU

Belarus does not plan to enter the European Union, Alena Kupchyna said in her last interview to BELTA in the capacity of a Deputy Foreign Minister. On December 15, she was appointed as Belarus' Ambassador to Austria.

Kupchyna noted that in 2017 Belarus will take over the rotating chairmanship of Central European Initiative from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the view of the diplomat, Belarus' participation in European integration processes is not always correctly assessed. "Different from several other countries, Belarus did not and does not set a goal of accessing the European Union. "European integration processes are definitely not only the EU for us. Central European Initiative, OSCE, Council of Europe and Eastern Partnership are the platforms aimed at developing constructive and mutually benefitial cooperation in the European region," explained Kupchyna. She added that Belarus will allways keep one condition for such cooperation - mutual respect and not forcing an artificial choice between the East and West.

At the same time, Belarus responsibly fulfills its international obligations with regard to Russia - our main ally, stressed Kupchyna.

According to the diplomat, Belarusians as a nation that weathered two World Wars realize the value of peace, stability and wellbeing in Europe.