Ambassador Boag, are the relations between
The decision by the Belarusian authorities to agree to the Commission's proposal to open a Delegation in
What changes could be brought about after the opening of the Delegation of the European Commission in
The opening of a Commission Delegation in
What will be the format of the Commission Delegation?
The Commission will be represented in
Does this agreement presuppose that Chargé d'affaires and the Head of Delegation will be reappointed?
In the foreseeable future there will be no change of personnel.
What should the head of the EC Delegation to
I think any Head of Delegation needs to be able to communicate both with those to whom he is accredited and with those by whom he is sent. This is essential to creating a better understanding. From such understanding can come some progress.
How important could be the work of Special representative of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry Sergey Gaidukevich?
There are already well established communication links between the Commission and the Belarusian authorities. There is a Belarusian Mission in
Politics aside, what could be the three words for you to describe
Three words are a bit short for a country of 10 million people. I would describe
Have you seen much of
Unfortunately I have seen little of
What is your wish for Belarusians?
My wish for the Belarusians is that it will be possible for them to benefit from the possibilities offered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, in particular democracy, good governance and economic progress. For this to happen we look to the Belarusian government to adhere to the values that underlie that policy.
Ian Boag has been Ambassador, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission in Kyiv since September 2004. Accredited to
He began his career in the British Diplomatic Service and, after several years, switched to the private sector where he was an international reinsurance broker for nearly five years.
In 1978 he joined the European Commission. Apart from various posts in the Directorates General for Development and for External Relations he was a member of the Cabinet of Claude Cheysson (1985-1987) and Head of Delegation in
Interview conducted by Maryna Rakhlei