MINSK, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that relations between Minsk and Brussels have become much warmer in recent years.
"The EU is one of the most significant trading partners and an important source of innovation needed to modernize and increase the competitiveness of the Belarusian economy," Lukashenko said Thursday at a ceremony to receive credentials from ambassadors of foreign countries in Minsk.
The president said his country is ready to build relations with the EU on the principles of good neighborliness and pragmatism that does not require Minsk to make a choice: East or West.
"Truth to be told, the European Union does not require this from us," he stressed.
At the same time, he is confident the progress in combining European and Eurasian integration processes would help consolidate the country's economy.
On Thursday, the Belarusian leader accepted the credentials of 13 ambassadors: Bulgaria, Britain, Guatemala, Germany, the European Union, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Russia, Tanzania, Croatia, Switzerland, and Ethiopia.
