Belarus leader signals new openness to reform in Reuters interview

Reuters scored an exclusive, multimedia interview on May 5 with Belarus’s long-serving president, Alexander Lukashenko, at a pivotal moment in his country’s relations with the West. Situated at the edge of the European Union and home to some of the former Soviet Union’s most successful industries, Belarus is eager to draw in foreign investment but has struggled because Lukashenko has been shunned by the European Union and United States. Now there is a thaw, increasing Belarus’s appeal to investors. Lukashenko signalled his readiness to consider further political reforms sought by the West and said Belarus would diversify its export markets to avoid the financial crisis. He revealed he wanted his country to act as a bridge between the West and traditional ally Russia.