Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Varanetski said Belarus hopes relations develop further with the European Union after the recent Belarusian presidential elections, Belapan reported Dec. 22. Varanetski said Belarus is interested in a dialogue despite European criticism of the government's handling of the Dec. 19 post-election protests in Minsk. He declined to comment further on the situation, apart from emphasizing Belarus' desire to move forward.