Belarus to reduce diplomatic presence in EU, increase it in CIS, China, India – MFA
<p> MINSK, Dec 20 - PrimePress. Belarus will significantly revise the structure of its foreign-based diplomatic office and diplomatic personnel numbers: Belarus will significantly reduce its diplomatic presence in Western Europe and increase its presence in the CIS, China, and India. This follows fr om Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makey’s report to President Alexander Lukashenko on 20 December, president’s press-service said. </p> <p> </p> <p> Lukashenko attributes this move to the foreign policy situation that Belarus. “We all see and understand what is going on. Especially on the Western front of our foreign economic and, first of all, foreign policy activities. Hence, our policy in the eastern and southern dimensions is changing. Therefore, I gave an instruction to the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to revise the structure and the number of personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its missions abroad.” </p> <p> </p> <p> BelTA reports citing Makey as saying: “We are significantly reducing the diplomatic presence in European countries. I do not mean that we are reducing the number of embassies and missions. We are cutting down on the number of diplomatic personnel. But we are redeploying them to other areas of work, to other countries where they will be needed, for example the CIS countries. We are increasing the number of personnel of a number of embassies and stepping up our diplomatic presence in the distant countries.” </p> <p> </p> <p> “Belarus is faced with the serious sanctions pressure. This also makes an impact on the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and foreign missions. We see that, unfortunately, the level of interaction between our embassies and the ministries of foreign affairs of the host countries has decreased. This applies primarily to Western Europe. At the same time, there is a need to step up our work in other countries,” the minister said. </p> <p> </p> <p> According to him, Belarus will reinforce its diplomatic presence in the countries that are its strategically important partners, for example, China and India. Besides, the MFA is thinking about opening new embassies in Africa, in the countries that are both solvent and wh ere the demand for our goods is high, the minister said. </p> <p> </p> <p> As previously reported, in early April 2021, Lukashenko suggested reducing Belarus’ diplomatic presence abroad. He said that the prospects of the Belarusian diplomatic presence in a number of countries are not visible, and therefore the budget should not be spent to maintain a full complement of diplomats there. End </p> <p> </p>
2021-12-21
Primepress
Belarus to reduce diplomatic presence in EU, increase it in CIS, China, India – MFA
MINSK, Dec 20 - PrimePress. Belarus will significantly revise the structure of its foreign-based diplomatic office and diplomatic personnel numbers: Belarus will significantly reduce its diplomatic presence in Western Europe and increase its presence in the CIS, China, and India. This follows fr om Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makey’s report to President Alexander Lukashenko on 20 December, president’s press-service said.
Lukashenko attributes this move to the foreign policy situation that Belarus. “We all see and understand what is going on. Especially on the Western front of our foreign economic and, first of all, foreign policy activities. Hence, our policy in the eastern and southern dimensions is changing. Therefore, I gave an instruction to the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to revise the structure and the number of personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its missions abroad.”
BelTA reports citing Makey as saying: “We are significantly reducing the diplomatic presence in European countries. I do not mean that we are reducing the number of embassies and missions. We are cutting down on the number of diplomatic personnel. But we are redeploying them to other areas of work, to other countries where they will be needed, for example the CIS countries. We are increasing the number of personnel of a number of embassies and stepping up our diplomatic presence in the distant countries.”
“Belarus is faced with the serious sanctions pressure. This also makes an impact on the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and foreign missions. We see that, unfortunately, the level of interaction between our embassies and the ministries of foreign affairs of the host countries has decreased. This applies primarily to Western Europe. At the same time, there is a need to step up our work in other countries,” the minister said.
According to him, Belarus will reinforce its diplomatic presence in the countries that are its strategically important partners, for example, China and India. Besides, the MFA is thinking about opening new embassies in Africa, in the countries that are both solvent and wh ere the demand for our goods is high, the minister said.
As previously reported, in early April 2021, Lukashenko suggested reducing Belarus’ diplomatic presence abroad. He said that the prospects of the Belarusian diplomatic presence in a number of countries are not visible, and therefore the budget should not be spent to maintain a full complement of diplomats there. End