Promises prevail over real advancement in visa problem solving with the EU. Aleksandr Mikhnevich, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to the United Kingdom, stated that in Minsk on July 23. "The visa problem with the EU solving is a very important issue", the diplomat said.
«We support the dialogue, and Europe supports it as well. But not only political dialogue, i.e. humane dialogue and international diplomacy», Aleksandr Mikhnevich said, BelTA informs. According to the diplomat, because of the nowadays high visas price, people has significantly less opportunities to visit Europe and to communicate between the countries.
«Belarus proclaimed also itself a tourist country, so it should be more open for all the citizens strata. But the EU cancels the visa or reduces its prices slowly; there are more promises than the real advancements «, Aleksandr Mikhnevich said.
The diplomat stressed also that the British side was always the initiator of visas prices increasing, and Belarus was not. Aleksandr Mikhnevich also said that he as ambassador had recently had to explain to the British why the entry visas prices to Belarus were so high. «Belarus is ready to reduce the visas prices and even to cancel them at all, if the European side does the same,» the ambassador said.
«But there is so-called immutable diplomatic principle of reciprocity. Of course, if we have made, for example, very cheap visas, it would be difficult to explain to our people, why the»poor» Europeans got the possibility to enter almost for free, and the locals have to pay big money», the diplomat said.
Shares of Belarusian enterprises can be listed at a stock exchange, Mikhnevich
In addition, according to Aleksandr Mikhnevich, Belarus Eurobond placement on the international market is a very good step. «I think that this first step is very important for us. Belarus has to invite not only individual investors, but also impersonal investors.» To do this, we should place the shares of the companies in major markets including the London Stock Exchange, which is the leader of the world,» Aleksandr Mikhnevich said.
«But to enter the market, we should get the indicator. But this indicator is the government eurobonds rate. Now if we get them under a specific percentage, it means that securities of our businesses will be listed. Maybe slightly worse, but not below this level «, the diplomat said.
