The Bundestag: Cooperation with Minsk is only the tip of the iceberg

Andrej Hunko accuses the government of the country in double standards in relations with Belarus.

He believes that the current scandal around the cooperation between German and Belarusian security services is only the tip of the iceberg, reports "Radio Svaboda".

Andrej Hunko was one of the first deputies of the Bundestag, who last fall have initiated an investigation of German cooperation with Belarusian security forces. A request, signed by him and other members of the Left Party, demanded from the federal government to reveal information about the details of this collaboration, and potential (albeit indirect) relation of German security officials to the events of December 19, 2010.

"Yes, we were the first in the Bundestag who insisted on the investigation. Even then we had reasons to talk about the double standard of the German foreign policy. On the one hand, officially, at the EU level, sanctions are imposed against the Belarusian regime. But on the other hand, behind the scenes, the German government, under the guise of "dialogue", helps the police to suppress peaceful demonstrations. In about a month, at the end of 2011, we received a response from the government, which we didn’t consider to be honest. In particular, it was stated that the cooperation was carried out in the framework of the "Eastern Partnership" program and that, according to the so-called readmission agreements, the EU and its neighbors should solve issues of illegal migration together. Also governmental officials insisted that the cooperation was carried out in the context of respect for human rights and strongly denied the fact that from the permission of the Interior Ministry of Germany in Belarus were delivered various police equipment. I should add that neither the media nor the public were interested in the issue for a long time interested. And only this summer the media started a big scandal. It turned out that the cooperation was much more active", - said Andrej Hunko.

The European Commission did actually approved the project of the "Eastern Partnership" program on cooperation in the fight against illegal migration, but it was a collaboration of German and European experts with Belarusian border guards (from 2009 to 2011 the funding of the program, with the approval of Brussels, through the TAIEX program amounted to 136,000 euros). As for training  of Belarusian policemen, these trainings were not provided. However representatives of the Belarusian riot police, according to testimonies of the federal state of Saxony, twice attended the battle actions of German special police units as observers. That was in 2010. In February of that year, the Germans demonstrated to Belarusians the methods of blocking many thousands fight between neo-Nazis and Left in February of 2010 in Dresden during a demonstration to mark the 66th anniversary of the bombing by Allied forces. Then the German police used tear gas and water cannons.

The second Belarusian internship in Saxony was conducted in November 2010. This was the observation of how the German police escorted train «Castor» nuclear waste. Usually, movement of such trains is accompanied by large protests that pose serioaus challenges to the German police.

German leftists are convinced that the German-Belarusian cooperation was of a permanent nature and, eventually, has expanded. This applies to trainings, and material support. In any case, "it is unlikely that the cooperation was limited with participation of only one of the German department or only the one police officer" – are quote opposition deputies by German editions.

"Our primary goal is to ensure transparency of government, in order to not allow government members to lie, while answering our requests. Our goal – to ensure that international cooperation is based on respect for human rights. This is on what our actions are directed. In contrast to the Greens, which also have sent a request to the government, we do not share the policy of sanctions against Belarus. But, just as the Greens and other parties, we sharply criticize the Belarusian regime for the use of death penalty, and for brutal suppression of peaceful demonstrations, for imprisonment of people based for their beliefs. This is what I have repeatedly said from the podium of Bundestag and PACE.

Unfortunately, the current scandal about the police cooperation with Belarus - is just the tip of the iceberg. Bundestag deputies learned that Germany conducts questionable cooperation not only with Belarus, but also with other anti-democratic regimes - in such countries as Libya, Saudi Arabia, the pre-revolutionary Egypt. The government sent tanks there, other military hardware. What is this but another proof of double standards of German foreign policy?" - asks the deputy of Bundestag.