Germany’s MFA turn blind eye to repressions against Belarusian democrats

At a meeting with head of the Ministry of Foreign Affaires of Belarus Syarhei Martynau, German foreign minister noted there were “democratic reforms” in Belarus.

Ongoing democratic reforms remain a condition for normalization of relations between Belarus and the EU and for lifting of all sanctions, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after the meeting with Syarhei Martynau.

As press service of the Germany’s Federal Foreign Office reports, the meeting focused on bilateral relations and relations between the European Union and Belarus. The German minister said he welcomed the steps forward in the direction of reforms, taken by the Belarusian authorities during the last week and months. He noted it was important for these endeavours to become a stable process.

He thinks the new EU’s policy Eastern Partnership offers new opportunities to countries, including Belarus. The German foreign minister said it depended on the Belarusian authorities whether the country could use them.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier also welcomed the fact that Belarus had become the 76th country – member of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). S. Martynau signed the IRENA’s statute in Berlin.

A visit of the Belarusian foreign minister to Germany has been the first visit of this level for the last 14 years, the press service of the German Federal Foreign Office reports.

The Belarusian opposition was surprised with the statements of the German foreign minister. It is strange that the high ranking official of the EU country didn’t mention that leaders of youth democratic movements Franak Vyachorka, Ivan Shyla, and Zmitser Khvedaruk were forcefully drafted into army in violation of all laws during the last month. Three days ago, leaders of entrepreneurs, former political prisoners Mikalai Autukhovich, Yurt Lyavonau, and Uladzimir Asipenka were arrested by Almaz, a special group of the Ministry of Internal Affaires.

“It is well known that policy of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany is based on a pragmatic approach, and such questions as human rights and democratization of society are not among the priority issues, interesting for official Berlin. A position of Berlin, in particular, one of the German Federal Foreign Office, which doesn’t reflect the problems in Belarus (repressive character of the regime hasn’t changed a jot), offers nothing new, and in fact, guides other EU’s countries, watching the events in Belarus, to support this conciliatory position. In my view, we should be more persistent in informing of EU’s foreign ministers what is really going on in Belarus, we should let them know that all steps of Lukashenka’s regime are only a semblance. No progress was made in any sphere. I don’t understand where Mr Steinmeier saw these positive steps,” leader of the Belarusian Popular Front Lyavon Barshcheuski told in an interview to Charter’97 press center.