In congratulating Czechia, Lukashenka says Minsk is ready to return to a “constructive partnership”

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on 28 October congratulated the people of Czechia on the Day of the Establishment of the Independent Czechoslovak State, on behalf of the country's citizens and himself. He wrote this in the congratulatory message itself.

According to Lukashenka, the history of relations between the two countries "remembers many examples of constructive cooperation." He said that for decades Belarusians and Czechs had successfully developed people-to-people contacts and carried out economic, humanitarian and cultural initiatives.

The current geopolitical situation, in Lukashenka's view, calls for emphasising what unites peoples and for conducting a pragmatic dialogue based on mutual respect, rather than accumulating unresolved problems.

He wrote that he is convinced that a search for points where interests coincide will allow Minsk and Prague to return to the path of constructive partnership. "Belarus is ready to make the necessary efforts for this," the message says.

Lukashenka expressed hope that in the near future Minsk and Prague will be able to "come together and return to normal work, and carry out concrete projects in the economic and humanitarian fields." The Belarusian side, he said, is "ready for this." He also wished the people of Czechia happiness, well-being and a peaceful sky overhead.

Thus, Lukashenka declared Belarus's readiness to restore cooperation with Czechia and called on Prague for a pragmatic dialogue. This is the position of the Belarusian side: there is no response from Prague to the congratulation yet.