Lukashenko said Belarus wanted to emulate prosperous European democracies, according to an interview published in Thursday's edition of the German daily Die Welt.

"Chancellor Angela Merkel as EU president should develop more of an interest in Belarus," he said. "We want to be willing pupils. I want Belarus to look like Germany or Sweden one day.

"Until now the West has constantly kicked us in the back," he said. "Now the time has come to weigh new possibilities for cooperation. Let's start an open, honest dialogue."

He said western Europe should make the first move.

"The West should begin by lifting the practically medieval ban on Belarusian politicians traveling to Europe," he said. "We can't shout at each other across a fence."

Long way to go

Ronald Pofalla, secretary general of Merkel's political party, the Christian Democratic Union, said he was skeptical of Lukashenko's statements.

"The Belarusian government cannot expect to be able to talk with the West and at the same time massively obstruct the opposition," he said in an interview published in Friday's Tagesspiegel newspaper.

He added that Minsk would have to release political prisoners and allow free access to independent media before any talks could begin.

Branded by Washington as Europe's "last dictatorship," Belarus is one of the only European states that has not gained admission to the 46-nation Council of Europe, which describes itself as a defender of human rights, parliamentary democracy and the rule of law.

The chairman of the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, Rene van der Linden, said on a visit to Minsk last week that the ex-Soviet republic should come out of the diplomatic cold and open up to a dialogue with the West.

Banned from EU

Lukashenko and his top associates have faced a visa ban in the European Union following what were seen in the West as rigged presidential elections last March.

The nation of 10 million people has also been embroiled over the last few weeks in an angry trade dispute with Russia, its sole major foreign backer, and has been seeking friends elsewhere, particularly in more Western-oriented Ukraine.

Western nations have also expressed concern over a Belarusian pledge to increase military relations with Iran. The Belarusian defense ministry issued a statement Wednesday that Mink and Teheran signed a memorandum of understanding to open the door for military and technical cooperation.