Belarus refuses to sign Eastern Partnership declaration due to Crimea

Belarus and Armenia refused to sign a final declaration of the Eastern Partnership as it contained a phrase about the occupation of Crimea.

The Reuters news agency learnt it from diplomatic sources, Evropeiska Pravda reports.

The initial document had a remark about the illegal annexation of the peninsula by Russia. Due to the stance of Belarus and Armenia, a compromise declaration will be proposed, in which the positions of the EU and Eastern Partnership members (Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Belarus) will be represented separately.

The document will say that the EU condemns the annexation of Crimea, according to the news agency. It will also refer to the positions of the six former Soviet republics expressed in a UN vote on the resolution condemning the Crimean referendum.

The General Assembly of the UN adopted the resolution that reaffirmed the unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The resolution passed with 100 votes in favour and 11 votes against (Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe).

The Eastern Partnership summit will held in Riga on May 21-22, 2015. Official Minsk will be represented by a delegation led by foreign minister Uladzimir Makei. The participation of Belarus into the EaP summit can be regarded as formal, though organisers wait for the arrival of the Belarusian leadership in Latvia until the last moment.