The main purpose of the visit to Belarus is to establish contacts between people and business circles

On November 9, Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Secreta held a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a delegation of German politicians and activists representing the federal state of Brandenburg, which visits the Republic of Belarus to restore Belarusian-German contacts in various spheres based on the interaction of sister cities. The trip was initiated by the deputy of the Brandenburg Landtag from the party “Union of Social Justice and Economic Prudence” (until October 2026 – “Union of Sarah Wagenknecht”) Sven Hornauf, writes sb.by.

Sven Hornauf, deputy of Landtag Brandenburg from the Union of Sarah Wagenknecht (Germany) party, commented to journalists that the members of the delegation got a great impression of Belarus:

- The main purpose of the visit of the entire delegation is to establish contacts between people, that is, to establish these bridges between people. Especially at the economic level. Both sides are suffering from sanctions. We must use every opportunity to restore relations, build them anew and establish international and interpersonal contacts. Now, first of all, we are already receiving a negative reaction about Belarus from politicians and the media. But if we talk about ordinary people, it is quite positive.

According to Landtag Brandenburg deputy from the Union of Sarah Wagenknecht (Germany) Gunnar Lehmann, everyone has a negative attitude towards sanctions. At the same time, he emphasized that Belarus copes with sanctions very well, life here does not stop and continues

- I would like people to be able to travel freely, so that Belarusian bloggers and vice versa can come to us. Unfortunately, now it is not possible, for example, to conclude any official agreements or establish any official status of sister cities. We are very interested in building these relationships.

Annelie Bötther, a member of the Frankfurt-on-Oder (leftist) city council of deputies, who is visiting Belarus as part of a delegation of German politicians and activists representing the federal state of Brandenburg, emphasized that she is in Minsk primarily as a representative of the sister movement, and not as a representative of the party:

- I'm here because I've been in the twinning movement for about 30 years. I think this is a very important task. Even though maybe not all politicians at the top want it. But humanity is an important word for us. And that's why we're here, she said.

Speaking about promising areas of cooperation between Belarus and Germany, Annely Bötther drew attention to contacts in the field of sports.

- I see prospects for development in the field of sports. I have been involved in this field for a long time in Germany. For example, boxers from Belarus often come to us. Unfortunately, this has not been happening lately. Also interesting areas of work with the elderly, she said.

Regarding the development of cooperation in the field of economy, the representative of the sister movement noted that it is primarily interested in small enterprises, since they create an economic basis on the ground. A member of the German delegation expressed hope for the restoration of contacts between Belarus and Germany, because, in her opinion, "sports, culture, music are outside politics and create the basis for the development of human contacts." Minsk Security Conference Helps Reduce International Tensions – German MP