Kazulin: “EU policy relating Belarus hasn’t taken effect so far”

Visits of European officials to Belarus takes place at a time when political prisoners appear in the country.

Summarizing the results of the visit of the High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the EU Javier Solana to Minsk, a former presidential candidate in Belarus and a former political prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin has stated that “sharp criticism of the EU position wasn’t heard at the press-conference last week”.

The oppositional politician noted in an interview to Radio Svaboda that only a concern over the situation in the relations between the official Minsk and the EU was expressed.

Alyaksandr Kazulin is sure that arrival of the PACE, the European parliament and the Council of Europe’s delegation to Minsk are “potent and effective steps forward”.

“But when the authorities are using repressions again, when new political prisoners appear, when on St. Valentine’s Day young people are brutally beaten up, when on February 16 another harsh battery is taking place, it causes concern that European visits are taking place in against such a background,” he stressed.

As said by Alyaksandr Kazulin, he would like to be told by the EU officials what a position is taken by them to Belarus.

“As a politician of such a level, Javier Solana was bringing a package of some proposals. And we are hoping greatly that steps forward are to take place in our country soon,” he commented the situation.

Alyaksandr Kazulin has reminded that the High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU Javier Solana hadn’t answered many questions on relations between the EU and Belarus he had been asked.

“I asked certain questions to Solana, and we were expecting that after meetings with Martynau and Lukashenka, Solana would answer these questions and say what we should wait for. But we haven’t felt that,” the former candidate for presidency said.

The former political prisoner underlined that the policy of European countries concerning Belarus hasn’t taken effect yet.

“The main question is: are the things happening moral or amoral? And we, citizens of Belarus, would like to receive an answer to this question. The policy pursued by the Europeans for over 13 years, hasn’t taken effect,” the oppositional politician said.

“We haven’t forgotten what has been taking place over all these years, in 1996, 1999, in 2001, in 2004, when violations of the Constitution and law were taking place. It is interesting for us in which direction we will move and whether European values would come to our country. When we are saying that Belarus is a European country, it means that we are interested in that. However, on the ground of what values is it happening? Is it based on pragmatism of some European politicians and officials?” the former political prisoner said.

“So far the Belarusian officials haven’t made even a single system-level, institutional step to change the situation, they have made only signal changes,” Alyaksandr Kazulin summed up.