Lukashenko urges EU to end pressure on Belarus

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday urged the European Union (EU) to stop exerting "useless" pressure on Belarus and start building mutual trust. "We expect the European Union to stop useless pressure on Belarus and take steps to prove themselves as a serious partner and a good neighbor," he said when receiving credentials from some foreign ambassadors. Calling his country as an integral part of the modern big Europe, the president said Minsk is "ready to actively cooperate with European states to promote prosperity and security of the entire continent." "I think it is time to drop these stereotypes and routine accusations on the part of the European Union towards Belarus. It is time to find common ground," Lukashenko said. Citing "the continued incarceration of political prisoners and crackdown on political activists, journalists and civil society representatives," the EU has imposed visa and economic sanctions against Belarussian officials. The sanctions and similar measures by the United States have drawn condemnation from Kazakhstan and Russia.