Belarus not seeking to mediate between conflicting parties in Ukraine - Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. June 4 (Interfax) - The Ukraine conflict is having a significant impact on the region, and Belarus is interested in its soonest possible settlement, but it is not seeking to act as a mediator between the opposing sides, Belarusian First Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Mikhnevich said.
"Minsk is not seeking to make use of differences to gain some benefits for itself, nor is it seeking to play a mediating role in the reconciliation process," Mikhnevich said at a high-level conference dealing with security and stability in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) region in Moscow on Thursday.
"We see the armed confrontation in southeastern Ukraine as a serious threat. Our country is very sensitive to the political and economic problems of this crisis, as it has a more than 4,000-kilometer long border with Ukraine, and they are having a very considerable impact on the regional process. Perfectly understanding how grave the consequences may be, Belarus is doing all it can to settle the situation in the country," he said.