On 6 July President Alexander Lukashenko gave an interview to the Austrian newspaper Die Presse.

The Head of State was asked more than 25 questions on a variety of issues ranging from Belarus’ participation in international integration projects to Belarus’ interests in the Eastern Partnership initiative, to the relationship with the Russian Federation, with the European Union, to its cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, to privatisation and the influence of the world economic crisis on the Belarusian economy. The President also answered a number of personal questions and shared his opinion of what Belarus would be like in ten years’ time.

When asked what priority came first for Belarus, either participation in the Customs Union with Russia and Kazakhstan or access to the free trade zone with the European Union, Alexander Lukashenko said, ‘Our priority is time. We will never renounce the Customs Union, because it is very advantageous for us. But we would not be against participation in the EU free trade zone, providing we were proposed such an opportunity tomorrow and we could take advantage of it’.

‘Our priority is determined by what can be fulfilled faster. If the Customs Union becomes fully operational from 2010, it will be our priority. Whether there will be a free trade zone between Belarus, Ukraine, and the European Union, this we do not know yet. This has been no more than talking so far. It will be very good if we create a Customs Union with Kazakhstan and Russia; it be very advantageous for us. If we manage it, we will be joining the WTO together too. And naturally it would be very advantageous for us if we became a part of the EU free trade zone,’ said the Belarusian leader.

Die Presse is an Austrian daily newspaper founded in 1848. The readership ranges between 117,000 to 196,000.

The newspaper has a well-developed correspondent network on all continents. The newspaper has taken interviews with top-ranking officials including the presidents of Germany, Poland, Egypt, Iraq, Syria.