Hungarian ambassador: “I know that EU flag is not always welcomed in Minsk”

A question of principal meaning is that “as big EU flag as possible can be set up on a flagstick,” Ferenc Kontra, head of the diplomatic mission said ahead of the opening of the Hungarian embassy in Belarus.

On 3 June Hungarian embassy begins its work in our country Minsk on the address Platonau Street, 16. It is planned to start issuing Schengen visas after two weeks from the opening of the embassy, “Belorusskie Novosti” writes.

“I know that the EU flag is not always welcomed in ht streets of Minsk. It is not dangerous, it is a symbol of cooperation of the EU countries, one shouldn’t be afraid of it!” Ferenc Kontra explains his position. “The more EU flags are in the streets of Belarusian cities, or at negotiations, the more tight the cooperation between Belarus and the EU will be.”

Being a member of the European Union, Hungary shares the EU’s policy towards Belarus, the Hungarian diplomat says. So, since 2004 meetings on ministerial level are restricted, our ministers don’t meet, and Hungary can’t establish full bilateral political cooperation with Belarus. “We can’t cooperate on the basis of shared values, as our values differ so far,” Kontra said.

According to him, everything depends on the steps of the Belarusian authorities: if democratisation processes begin, there are no political prisoners, “the EU will reciprocate,” because it is ready for “very intensive cooperation with Belarus on the basis of common values.”