It is inadmissible to turn the Eastern Partnership initiative into a politicized organization, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn on 30 January, BelTA has learned.

“Of course, an organization cannot exist without politics, but it is inadmissible to turn the Eastern Partnership into an absolutely political organization. And it is inadmissible to make the Eastern Partnership member states view this belt as a dividing zone between the European Union and Russia, China, the East,” the head of state stressed.

“We pay great attention to our cooperation within the framework of this organization. You can count on us in this regard. Our wish is to make the Eastern Partnership a more down-to-earth and practice-oriented organization,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

In his words, the Eastern Partnership should address the issues that are topical for Europe and promote the projects of vital importance in the energy sector, transport and logistics. “We also need to address the issues related to people's lives, visa matters so that we could communicate with Europe more fully and freely while you could travel to Belarus without any constraints,” the president added.