Rahr: Policy of involving Belarus into EU does not work

Nothing is changing fundamentally in the conflict of values between the EU and Belarus.

How soon the European ambassadors would return to Belarus? What would contribute to their return to Minsk?

A German political analyst, a program director of the Berthold Beitz Center for Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Central Asia at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) Alexander Rahr has told about that in an interview to Radio Svaboda.

“The conflict between Belarus and the European Union is a typical wave which is being stirred up, is getting bigger and bigger and crashes on the shore, as it happened almost every year in the relations between the EU and Belarus. Then the sea quiets again, until the next wave which is to emerge for sure, as in reality nothing changes in the conflict of values of the EU and Belarus. At the same time, the EU understands itself that it is impossible to conflict over values with Belarus constantly. That is, the EU is to return to the policy of stick and carrot again. And Belarus is playing the same game, that is, it has learnt how to play it. That is why whether ambassadors are to return now, in two weeks or in a month, I think some kind of normalization is to take place before the May holidays,” the political analyst noted.

- Does it mean Europe is to lose again?

- Belarus is losing in eth eyes of Europeans, as it is punished in this way, it is pointed the finger of scorn at, it is showed that the last dictator of Europe rules the country. But the EU has other problems, aside from concentrating on Belarus. And moreover, what should they punish Belarus for? For having such a ruler, who adopts decisions at his sole discretion, like in the case of Poland and the EU’s ambassadors? I think that the EU does not know how to conduct policies toward Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. The policy of involving into the EU does not work with Belarus.

- And what is your attitude towards the statements of the Foreign Minister of Belarus Syarhei Martynau, who noted that the issues of developing the relations with the EU and release of political prisoners are not related, as Belarus believes? Can the ambassadors return to Minsk before all political prisoners are released?

- Well, these are the words of high-ranking officials, every side would like to save the face. I think that after the ambassadors return to Minsk, the Belarusian authorities are to release some political prisoner. That is, Belarus is to make that not under the pressure of the EU. But they also understand that they should give away something in order to restore the relations with the EU for some time.