Sannikov: Democratic Belarus will participate in regional processes actively (Photo)

This week a Belarus’ presidential aspirant Andrei Sannikov has held a number of important meetings in Berlin.

On Tuesday a public discussion dedicated to the pre-election situation in Belarus was organized. Among the speakers during the discussion were a prospective candidate for presidency in Belarus Andrei Sannikov, a deputy of the Bundestag Uta Zapf, representatives of “European Exchange” initiative (Europäischer Austausch) Stefanie Schiffer and a director of the German Society of Eastern European Studies Gabriele Freitag.

Besides, a former German Ambassador to Belarus Martin Hekker, ambassadors and representatives of embassies situated in Berlin, journalists, experts, representatives of the Foreign Ministry of Germany and Belarusian students studying in Berlin have taken part in the discussion.

In the next 2 days meetings with journalists of influential newspaper, meeting in the Foreign Ministry, in the office of the Federal Chancellor of Germany, with the former OSCE Ambassador in Belarus Hans-Georg Wieck, Bundestag deputies Marieluise Beck and Friedrich Ostendorff.

“The time of the visit was very good, as at the moment discussion on the situation in Belarus is carried out intensively. Germany is taking an active part in these processes and discusses that not only with Belarusian oppositional politicians, but with Russia and Poland as well. The evidence for that is a recent meeting of Foreign Affairs ministers of Poland and Russia, and the joint visit of Foreign Ministers of Poland and Germany to Belarus on November 2.

Besides, the traditional “Minsk Forum” is to be opened by the Chief of Staff of the German Chancellery Ronald Pofalla. At all the meetings with official representatives of Germany and Bundestag deputies the new situation related to the upcoming presidential election in Belarus was discussed. One can say that German politicians, like the leadership of Russia, do not regard Lukashenka as a partner for future relations with Belarus. For many years Germany proposed different variants of interaction with Lukashenka’s regime, however no results have been achieved, and the situation in Belarus remains on the same level.

Now Russia, Germany, the European Union are elaborating new approaches to the policy of relations with Belarus and the region in general. It is related to the necessity to make decisions quickly, and urgently answer the challenges of the time. To a great extent it happens because the political situation in Belarus is changing quickly as well. Lukashenka’s dictatorship does not allow Belarus to play an active role in these processes, preventing the normal development of relations with Europe, including Germany. German politicians and experts understand that improvement of business environment in Belarus, for expanding Belarusian-German ties are possible only with the democratic development of our country. They also understand that the only impediment for normal relations is the dictatorship in Belarus,” Andrei Sannikov said.