A. Lukashenko notes the counterproductiveness of Europe's attempts to isolate Belarus

November 9, Minsk /BELTA/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko notes the counter-productivity of attempts by Europe to isolate Belarus. He stated this on November 8 in an interview with journalists from major German media outlets, BELTA was informed by the press service of the Belarusian leader. Speaking generally about cooperation between Belarus and the European Union, Alexander Lukashenko said: "There is no doubt that we must move towards cooperation." According to the head of the Belarusian state, the previous 15 years "have turned out to be counter-productive in terms of attempts to isolate Belarus and somehow weaken our state and society." "This example is eloquent and shows that we must cooperate. We live in this close, interdependent world, and even more so, our place of residence is the same apartment, the same block, named Europe," the President noted. Regarding the country's participation in the Eastern Partnership, the President stressed that Belarus is ready to be its most active participant. "We are ready to be the most active player in the Eastern Partnership if the European Union wants it," the head of state said, stating that so far the progress in this initiative is "very weak." "We are waiting. We have proposed specific projects, very beneficial, including for Germany, for the north and south of Europe. We are ready for all of Europe to take advantage of our opportunities in its own interests," the President emphasized. The journalists who met with the head of the Belarusian state represented media outlets such as the ZDF television company, the newspapers Süddeutsche Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Berliner Zeitung, Die Welt, Financial Times Deutschland, Welt am Sonntag, Bild, as well as the Austrian Die Presse. The central themes of the interview included relations between Belarus and the European Union, Belarus's participation in the European initiative "Eastern Partnership," relations with Russia, diversification of energy supplies to the country, as well as the presidential elections in Belarus. Journalists were also interested in the possibility of abolishing the death penalty in Belarus, conditions for foreign investors, and their participation in the privatization of Belarusian enterprises. -E-