MINSK, 23 November (BelTA) – Belarus is interested in creating common integration platforms between the EU and the Customs Union, Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergei Martynov said as he opened a joint session of the foreign ministries of Belarus and Russia on 23 November, BelTA has learnt. According to Sergei Martynov, Belarus would like Russia to take part in major regional projects, including those of the Eastern Partnership Initiative. “We support Russia’s participation in the group of friends of the Eastern Partnership in the projects that serve Russia’s interests. We hope that with concerted effort we will be able to make the EaP and other cooperation formats between our states and the EU productive and beneficial for closer cooperation,” he said. Sergei Martynov added that it is important to prevent the EU and the Customs Union from splitting their ways and to encourage them to work together in creating common integration platforms. “Here I think our states may play a key role,” the Foreign Minister of Belarus said. His Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov noted that top on the agenda is also “multilateral integration, including the work of regional organizations and the relations between them and the European policy of the CIS member states.” He expressed hope that the parties will be able to work out an optimal model of the integration platform between the Customs Union and the EU.

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