Ambassador Kontra: “I won’t call something white, when it is grey”

Hungarian Ambassador to Belarus Ferenc Kontra has commented to www.charter97.org website on the response of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus to his critical comments about Belarusian authorities.

We remind that on October 21 spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus Andrei Papou “expressed surprise” over a number of statements of the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Hungary on political and economic situation in Belarus made at a press-conference held in Minsk a day before. “Many of these statements have biased and are obviously out of synch with the positive and friendly context of Belarusian-Hungarian cooperation,” the official stated.

In reply to these accusations Ferenc Kontra stated:

“I understand that our opinions may vary on different issues. I do not represent Belarus. It is not expected from me that I would “belittle” or “airbrush” affairs in any way. I am speaking openly when communicate with representatives of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus, with colleagues or the press. I always say the same things. Why should I say that something is white when it is grey? I won’t do that. I understand that some my statements are not traditional, maybe that’s the reason they are not placed to the pages of state-run Belarusian newspapers. But it is not my problem,” the diplomat said in an interview to www.charter97.org.

We informed that at the press-conference on October 20 Ambassador Ferenc Kontra stated that the level of trust between Belarus and the EU is not sufficient, and criticized actions of law-enforcers against participants of peaceful street rallies and of journalists covering these rallies.

“Unfortunately, I have an impression that words and actions of the Belarusian authorities sometimes differ,” the diplomat said.

“It often happens at rallies,” Kontra noted, “that militia officers beat young people, peaceful demonstrators. Questions arise: what should be taken into account – words or what TV cameras show?”

When international delegations come in Belarus and estimate the situation with the mass media, officials told them: it’s all right, the ambassador noted.

“When people in civvies close lenses of photo and TV cameras, it may mean that they don’t want the cameras to be here,” Kontra thinks. “If journalists are hindered to perform their duties, these people are not interested in good ties between our countries.”

He also underlined that the EU has extended a hand to Belarus. “The Belarusian side has started certain processes, there are results. But progress is not seen in some spheres, in which changes can be profitable for Belarus and can be reached by just one signature,” Kontra noted. “I’d like the Belarusian authorities to accelerate the pace of actions they started. As soon as they become convincing, the EU will react in an appropriate way.”