Deputy FM: Belarus is interested in normalizing relations with Germany, but not at any price

Belarus is interested in normalizing relations with Germany, but not at any price, Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Sekreta said at a meeting with a delegation of Brandenburg politicians and activists, BelTA has learned.

“Belarus would like to have normal relations with Germany. But it is important to understand here that we are not begging for anything and are not standing with an outstretched hand. Normalization is needed, but not at any price, including at the expense of relations with our closest allies and partners, above all Russia and China, or at the expense of creating threats to our internal stability,” Igor Sekreta said.

He noted that in recent years official Berlin has done much to destroy Germany’s reputation in Belarus. Restoring trust will be very difficult.

“Today we stand at the ruins of what was built over decades,” the Belarusian deputy minister of foreign affairs said. Thus, as a result of sanctions imposed under a far-fetched pretext, air and rail links between Belarus and Europe are not working, and bilateral trade has collapsed. Government, sectoral and regional ties have been severed. There is an active destruction of contacts in the sectors of sport, culture, tourism and other areas. Through visa policy and other instruments, targeted work is carried out to limit interpersonal contacts between Belarusians and Europeans, including Germans.

The waiting time at the consular section of the German embassy in Minsk for submitting visa documents is up to 18 months, Igor Sekreta drew attention. According to him, Belarus is trying to mitigate the situation within what is possible: Belarus has introduced a visa waiver for citizens of 38 European countries, including Germany.

“But what especially surprised and even shocked us was the change in Berlin’s approaches in the field of historical memory. We have begun to record alarming trends in this sector,” the Belarusian deputy minister of foreign affairs continued. “From our point of view, what, for example, the leadership of certain memorial complexes in Germany, the Berlin-Karlshorst Museum and the Remembrance, Responsibility and Future Foundation have been doing lately insults the memory of millions of Soviet citizens, including Belarusians, who died during the war at the hands of the Hitlerites. It also nullifies the large-scale work on reconciliation that was carried out in the post-war years.”

A Bundeswehr tank brigade, number 45, is being deployed in Lithuania near the Belarusian border. The same number was borne by a Wehrmacht infantry division that attacked the city of Brest on 22 June 1941, Igor Sekreta stressed.

The deputy minister also spoke on the topic of European sanctions, expressing confidence that the German delegation during its trip to Belarus would be able to see for itself that the sanctions have not achieved their goals. “Compare how much petrol and electricity cost in Belarus and Germany. Ask Belarusians how much they pay for utilities or public transport. Analyze how many new, most modern schools, hospitals, swimming pools, sports complexes and metro stations the so-called ‘dictatorship’ has built during the years of sanctions. And draw your own conclusions,” he said.

The deputy minister stressed that Belarus is successfully coping with the existing difficulties. The country’s economy is steadily showing positive dynamics. Macroeconomic, financial and, importantly, social stability has been preserved. In 2024, the country’s GDP grew by 4%, in 2025 by 1.3%, and in the first eight months of 2026 by 1.9%. Gold and foreign exchange reserves are at a record level, as are the real incomes of the population. Inflation and unemployment have recently reached such levels that these topics have practically ceased to interest the population.

“Yes, sanctions hinder our development and are unpleasant. But time has shown that Belarus can develop without close cooperation with the EU and Germany in particular. Critical dependencies have almost disappeared. The world is large, and the expansion of Minsk’s cooperation with the countries of the global majority is bearing positive fruit,” Igor Sekreta stressed, noting that Europe is pursuing a policy of self-isolation from the world, and its consequences are already visible, including on the streets.

Addressing the members of the large and representative delegation from Germany that had come to Minsk, Igor Sekreta noted that there had not been such delegations for many years. This fact clearly testifies to the depth of the crisis in Belarusian-German relations. At the same time, he stressed that it is obvious to all sensible people that this crisis did not come about as a result of any unfriendly actions by Minsk towards Germany or the European Union in general, but as a consequence of the one-sided, destructive actions of Brussels that grossly violate international law. An active role in this process, unfortunately, was and continues to be played by official Berlin.

The deputy minister drew attention to the message that this visit sends to Belarusian society. “We know that, despite the utterly shameless anti-Belarusian propaganda and streams of lies in the German media about Belarus, there are many people in Germany with critical thinking and true friends of Belarus. I hope that this trip will make an important contribution to restoring Belarusian-German contacts and mutual trust, and to strengthening the bonds of friendship between Belarusians and Germans,” he said.

Igor Sekreta expressed interest in dialogue and an exchange of ideas on how the current state of affairs can be changed and Belarusian-German relations directed into a constructive channel.