U.S. expects to strengthen relations with Belarus

The United States expects to strengthen relations with Belarus to the benefit of the interests of both countries, the U.S. Embassy in Minsk said on Wednesday in a statement devoted to the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The embassy noted that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1991 the U.S. supported the independence and sovereignty of Belarus on the way to greater democracy and prosperity.

For 25 years, the states worked on strengthening of European and world security. The United States welcomed the decision of Belarus to abandon nuclear weapons in 1994, the U.S. also help to strengthen the security of nuclear and radiological materials in the country.

Belarusian Foreign Ministry noted that "Belarus and the United States more unite than divide." It said that even in the most difficult time the countries cooperate in matters of decisive importance for the safety and well-being of the international community.

Belarus hopes that the process of improvement of relations between Belarus and the United States would not only contribute to the development of cooperation, but also become a factor in the normalization of the international situation and the strengthening of regional security in Eastern Europe, the Ministry said.

Belarus has no U.S. ambassador since 2008. The parties mutually reduced staff of their embassies to five people in 2008 after the United States had imposed economic sanctions on Belarus.

In recent years, Belarus has improved relations with the West against the background of the role of Minsk in the settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Earlier, the U.S. suspended sanctions against a number of Belarusian enterprises, saying that could further weaken the sanctions pressure, subject to continuation of democratic reforms. Enditem