Kristian Vigenin: Lukashenka is not welcomed in Vilnius

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria thinks that invitation of Uladzimir Makei to the EU foreign ministers meeting was a good idea of Brussels.

Kristian Vigenin said it in an interview with Radio Svaboda.

“Belarus must have an opportunity to become a part of the Eastern Partnership process. It depends only on Minsk how to react to the positive signals we have sent. I think Belarus should take these signals seriously. I hope they will make some steps in this relation. If no measures are taken, we will remain on the same level as we were before. The only question that will remain is whether we should invite the Belarusian leadership to the Eastern Partnership summit and on what level it should be done. I have the impression that European leaders wouldn't like to see Lukashenka at the summit,” Kristian Vigenin said.

Uladzimir Makei took part in the meeting of Eastern Partnership foreign ministers.

The meeting was held yesterday in Brussels following the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

It was Makei's first trip to Europe after the 2010 presidential election. In January 2011, he, like other Belarusian top officials, was put on the EU blacklist as a person involved in the brutal suppression of post-election protests on December 19 and repression against opposition activists. Makei was then the head of Lukashenka's administration.

On June 24, 2013, the EU Foreign Affairs Council took a decision at a meeting in Luxembourg to suspend a visa ban on Uladzimir Makei.