Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg met with Belarusian politicians

A meeting of Karel Schwarzenberg, Minister of Foreign Affairs Czech Republic, and Ivonka Survilla, the chair of the Rada of the Belarusian National Republic (BNR), Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Zyanon Paznyak and Stanislau Shushkevich, has taken place in Prague.

The head of the foreign policy agency of the Czech Republic, which is presiding in the EU now, received Belarusian politicians before the Eastern Partnership summit began in Prague. Proposals of the Belarusian civil society’s representatives concerning this program were discussed at the meeting, Radio Svaboda informs.

At the press-conference dedicated to the results of the meeting, Karel Schwarzenberg said that it was a great honour for him to welcome representatives of the Belarusian democratic opposition. “Belarus is close to us not only for geographical reasons. There are many Belarusians in the Czech Republic. It is very important for me that we discussed concrete steps to support the Belarusian culture and civil society,” the minister said.

Besides, Karel Schwarzenberg has explained the fact why a number of leaders of the European Union countries didn’t want to see Alyaksandr Lukashenka at the summit, while the leader of Azerbaijan will attend the summit, though human rights violations take place there too: “The closer a country to the European Union is, more critical is our view at the country is. Once we treated the Balkans very critically, and now Belarus and Ukraine remain closer to us”.

The leader of the “Civil Belarus” organisation, a former dissenter and minister Jan Ruml reminded about political prisoners in today’s Belarus, and draw attention to Mikalay Autukhovich’s hunger strike.

Evaluating the results of the meeting, Ivonka Survilla noted: “It is crucially important for Belarus to join the Eastern Partnership program on normal terms, and not as a second-rate country”.

According to Alyaksandr Milinkevich: “It has been a historical day today. After a long time of absence in the European integration we are making the first steps to restore our place in the European family”.

Zyanon Paznyak noted long-standing traditions of Belarusian-Czech cultural ties, reminding that it was in Prague where Francis Skaryna printed the first Belarusian books. “Lukashenka’s regime is very harsh to its nation, its culture and language, that’s why these issues were emphasized during the conversation”.