MINSK (Sputnik) — The improvement of relations between Belarus and Western states does not seek to undermine Belarusian-Russian bilateral relations and to accede to another camp, Oleg Kravchenko, the Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister said Thursday.
"Some progress in our cooperation with the European Union and the United States does not indicate that the steps, that have been taken to that end, constitute an attempt to undermine relations with Russia and to join another block," Kravchenko said.
"We would like to have a direct dialogue between the EU and the EAEU [Eurasian Economic Union], a direct line from Lisbon to Vladivostok," Kravchenko explained.
In July, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that Belarus advocated the development of intergovernmental integration processes. He noted that considerable progress had been made in Belarus' relations with the European Union and the United States, adding that the Belarusian contribution to security, stability and peace in Europe had been gaining the recognition of European partners. Lukashenko also indicated that Minsk would not silently accept the decisions of either the West or the East.