Year of Missed Opportunities

A statement of the Foreign Ministry on Belarus and the EU relations’ reaching a new level is an overt fabrication, the international coordinator of the Charter’97 Andrei Sannikov believes. “It is not clear what aim is pursued by the Belarusian Foreign Ministry by making such statements, as it can hardly be called a half-truth. It is an overt fabrication, and an attempt to paint a picture which does not exist in reality. Either the Foreign Ministry is trying to convince itself that everything is fine, or tried to show Lukashenka in word that they are working good,” Sannikov believes.

As we have informed, Foreign Ministry press-secretary Andrei Papou has stated today that the last year had opened opportunities for reaching a brand new level in the relations of Belarus with the European Union. As said by him, in 2007 an exchange of visits of officials of the EU and Belarus has taken place, among others “on the level of Belarusian government, leadership of the Foreign Ministry. Consultations and talks on different directions of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, seminars and conferences on topics of joint interest have taking place”.

“In reality there have been no official visits either from one or from the other side. There were limited working contacts, and we cannot speak about reaching a new level of relations as well. The reason is clear: absence of democracy in the country, persecution of dissenters, repressions against political parties and civil society, strict control over mass media. And the main obstacle is undoubtedly political prisoners in Belarus, whose number has grown several times after January 10, which caused harsh criticism of official Brussels. The statement of Foreign Ministry is simply misleading citizens of Belarus, as even opening the EU representation is hampered by authorities themselves,” Sannikov said.

At the same time, as said by him, links of the democratic forces with leaders of democratic states, on the contrary, continue to be strengthened. Opposition leaders are received at the highest level both in the US and in the United Europe.

“If the last year could be characterized in respect of relations between Belarus and the EU, it could be called a year of missed opportunities. Last year for the first time opposition offered the regime an open dialogue in order to avoid economic hardships in the country and reinforce independence of our state. It could have been a beginning of improvement of relations between Belarus and the EU. However the government is carefully protecting the current regime in Belarus and tries to sole the economic problems in the way which unavoidably would end not in evolution, but to a collapse of the system of power,” the diplomat notes.

The press-secretary of the Foreign Ministry has stated today as well that the official Minsk hopes for “further stepping up and intensifying relations with the EU on such mutually beneficial spheres like power industry and energy effectiveness, transport and transit, nature protection, cooperation of customs and border services, science and technical cooperation and others”.

“Any serious talks on trade and economy relations with the united Europe are out of question, including those on energy issues, as even for the sake of their own security Europeans won’t deal with the closed repressive system, simply because they wouldn’t risk their investments. At the same time we see that all neighbouring countries are insistently searching for alternative energy resources and are achieving success in it,” Sannikov noted.

The international coordinator of the Charter’97 has reminded that the first most important condition of development relations between Belarus and the EU is release of political prisoners and termination of political repressions. “After that one could consider other steps for improving relations with Europe. In this case one could speak in particular about lower costs of entry visas for Belarusians,” Sannikov believes.