Holzapfel: Cooperation with Belarus possible only after meeting conditions
1- 18.11.2010, 9:14
Conditions are related to absence of political prisoners, free and fair elections, development of mass media.
The European Union is ready to restart talks with Belarus on agreement on partnership and cooperation and the agreement on free trade. It has been stated by the charge d'affaires of the EU in Belarus, Jean-Eric Holzapfel on November 17 in Minsk at the round table discussion “Belarus – EU: The strategy of interaction in the historical perspective,” BelaPAN reports.
Mr Holzapfel stressed that renewal of the negotiations is possible only in case of Belarus’ progress in the five key spheres proposed by the EU.
He reminded that the key spheres are “related to absence of political prisoners, free and fair elections, developed mass media, freedom of association and movement toward death penalty abolition.”
Besides, as said by Mr Holzapfel, the EU works up an interim plan of actions for Belarus in the framework of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). Belarus, as he noted, is the only county of the ENPI, which does not have a plan of actions because of its “political context.”
“In order to reach some progress, despite of the absence of plan of actions, we have created a concept of joint interim plan, which could allow a discussion with Belarus on a wide range of issues,” Holzapfel said.
Speaking about streamlining the visa regime between the EU and Belarus, he noted that talks are held on this issue. At the same time, he noted that “there are no obstacles for Belarus to ratify agreements on t on small-scale near-border traffic with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.”
The round table discussion “Belarus-EU: The strategy of interaction in the historical perspective” was organized by the Philosophy Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in cooperation with the EU mission in Belarus.
At the session reports were made by Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the main directorate of Europe of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Belarus Alyaksandr Bajchorau, a number of Belarusian experts in the sphere of humanities. Representatives of the TACIS programme and EU embassies in Belarus have taken part in the event as well.
