Minister of Foreign Affairs was welcomed by Rector Prof. Sergei Ignatov, who stressed in his address: “EHU and the European Union are not only age-mates, founded in the same year — 1992. We share a commitment to the same values, as to the regional perspective of addressing Belarus and EU’s Eastern Neighborhood. The Eastern Partnership program started 10 years ago and today it is a good opportunity to evaluate its results and further directions of development”.
Over a dozen of Ambassadors and more than 60 students and faculty members attended the lecture. In providing his introductory notes Minister Rinkēvičs made an overall analysis of the state of affairs both in EU and Eastern Partnership member states, as to how tailor-measured approach to every individual neighboring state has been reached, as well as what were the main challenges on the way to signing Association Agreements with the front-runners of the Program.
During the Q&A session students and faculty members asked Minister Rinkēvičs a broad spectrum of issues: from the need to abolish the death penalty in Belarus, hybrid warfare and Russia’s propaganda in EU and hatred towards LGBTQ community in the Eastern Partnership countries.
