Authorities not going to fulfil EU conditions

The head of the Foreign Ministry states that Lukashenka’s regime would implement only those reforms which “considers important for itself”.

“We should certainly work on certain issues, which as we believe are important. But I would like certain aspects to be considered: firstly I do not know a single country where non-governmental organisations want do not want anything more from the government, which is equally true for Belarus, and Belgium, and Britain, and the US,” the foreign minister Syarhei Martynau said answering the question of “Agence Europe” news agency. “the second thing, please pay attention to what the EU expects from its partners. As far as we understand, it is stability and economic wellbeing; these are the criteria on which “Eastern Partnership initiative is based”.

“But it is important to bear in mind that speaking about improvements, we do not mean improvements under the pressure or harsh supervision of the EU, but reforms inside out society, which would be favourable for ourselves,” Syarhei Martynau said.

The head of the Belarusian foreign ministry said: “We do not want to write beautiful laws, use loud phrases and simply leave them on paper their irreconcilability with the reality, which has happened in some of our neighbours’ countries. We are sure that everything is good in own good time”.

As we have informed, talks of the Foreign Minister Syarhei Martynau and the leadership of the European Union has taken place this week in Brussels. In particular, the head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry met with met with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union Javier Solana, and EU External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Benita Ferrero – Waldner.

“We could unlock the full potential of our relationship if indeed convincing and irreversible reforms will be there,” Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU commissioner for external relations, told a joint news conference on July 28 in Brussels after the meeting with Belarusian Foreign Minister Martynau.

The EU Commissioner said that in the relations the EU and Belarus have reached the crossroads and it is to their interest to give a new momentum to them. As said by her, in September the EU will study the progress of Minsk in democratization in five key spheres at different levels, and after that the issue of visa sanctions is to be studies by the heads of Foreign Ministries of the EU countries in November.

The EU is ready “to support and re-engage with Belarus if indeed Belarus shows itself to be very serious in pursuing moves towards democracy and fundamental freedoms,” she said.