Catherine Ashton to speak with Martynau at Yanukovych’s inauguration

The situation in Belarus was discussed at the session of the Council of the European Union.

At a press-conference following the results of the session of the EU Foreign and General Affairs Council, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice Chair of the European Commission Catherine Ashton told that this topic was in the agenda of the discussion of the foreign policy agencies’ heads from 27 countries of the Union, Interfax informs.

“These events mean a step forward in our relations,” she underlined. “Recently the EU has demonstrated considerable openness in attracting Belarus, among other things by making it a part of the Eastern Partnership policy”.

“We haven’t discussed any sanctions,” Mrs. Ashton said. “We discussed possibilities of communication on this issue with the Foreign Minister of Belarus. I hope to meet with him in Ukraine, if he would be there during the inauguration of President Viktor Yanukovych”.

At the same time, as Ashton underlined, the European Commissioner responsible for relations with the countries of the Eastern Partnership program Stefan Fuele “has already got in touch with Minsk, his message was very clear, and we continue to follow the developments carefully”.

The Foreign Affairs Council is to get back to this issue at its next session and would act depending on the situation, Ashton added.

In his turn Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski informed that his colleagues from other countries of the EU are set to ask the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to revise relations with Belarus. As said by the head of Polish Foreign Ministry, there is still time for the Belarusian authorities in their conflict with Poles “to retract, and I hope this will happen”.

“I will talk to colleagues and ask for solidarity; for them to help Belarus to realize which important possibilities they could miss in case of continuation of the policy of persecution,” Radoslaw Sikorski said to the European Radio for Belarus.

According to the Polish minister, it is necessary for the EU “to continue and strengthen our policy of conditionality towards Belarus”. “I mean that Belarus can aspire to enter different European institutions under the condition of improvement in the spheres of human rights, treatment of national minorities and opposition,” explained Polish Foreign Minister.

Representatives of the unofficial Union of Poles in Belarus, recently harassed by the Belarusian authorities, are called by Sikorski victims of crackdown “exactly because they are Belarusian citizens”.

“We believe that countries that hope to play an active part in the good neighborhood policy, should move towards our standards in relations with minorities. And Belarus knows that perfectly well about the conditions of the EU for improving relations,” said the Foreign Minister of Poland.

We remind that the Union of Poles in Belarus (UPB, or ZPB) was founded in 1990, and united Polish cultural and educational societies in the country. As a result of provocations of the authorities it was slit into two wings in 2005. The activists of the Union of Poles not recognized by the authorities are headed by Andzelika Borys.

On February 8 officers of the court distrained property of the Polish House, evicting members of the independent UPB from it. The leadership of the organisation viewed that as “seizure” and addressed the Polish authorities for help.

On February 10 activists of the unofficial Union of Poles held a meeting. The UPB leaders including Andzelika Borys were arrested and punished for it by a fine.

On February 16 Polish President Lech Kaczyński sent a letter to Alyaksandr Lukashenka, expressing his concern and firm protest related to the growth of repressions against the Union of Poles in Belarus.

Besides, on February 16 Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice Chair of the European Commission , condemned actions of police against the Union of Poles in Belarus and is “attempts of the authorities to impose new leadership to the Polish association”. She said that developments of the situation with the UPB undermine efforts of the EU to strengthen relations between the European Union and Belarus.

On February 17 the disputed House in Ivyanets (Minsk region) passed into the hands of the state-supported Union of Poles loyal to Lukashenka’s regime.