Jacek Protasiewicz: Most irritating thing is that Belarusian authorities want to receive money from West

Europeans note that official Minsk is trying to cooperation with European Union without implementing political reforms.

A delegation of the European Parliament has finished a visit to Belarus where it had arrived for studying the situation of the Polish minority in the country.

Jacek Protasiewicz, head of the EP delegation for relations with Belarus stated that meetings of MEPs with representatives of the opposition and official authorities had been organized during the visit. The MEPs discussed the issue of Belarus’ participation in the EuroNEST (the Parliamentary Assembly of the Eastern Partnership) with them.

The Members of the European Parliament are to make a report summing up the results of the visit, which is to be a foundation for further steps of the European structures in the relations of the EU with Minsk. The report is to be ready by the end of this week.

The head of the EP delegation for relations with Belarus Jacek Protasiewicz called the attitude of official Minsk to cooperation with the European Union “irritating”.

“The most irritating fact is that the Belarusian authorities do not understand that freedom of citizens both in economic and political aspects is a guarantee of the country’s well-being. It seems to them that in order to solve all problems it is enough to lend money from the West,” Jacek Protasiewicz said in an interview to the Polish Radio.

The member of the European parliament has also commented the critical articles recently published in state-run mass-media in Belarus about the Union of Poles in Belarus not recognized by the authorities. To his mind, such actions insult the Polish minority in Belarus.

Speaking about his impressions, Protasiewicz stated that in Belarus “we are dealing with a strong pressure both on the civil society which important part is the Union of Poles headed by Andzelika Borys, and on the democratic opposition”. To his mind, it is related to beginning of the election campaign in the country, as said by the European deputy, “Minsk is trying to establish partnership with the EU with minimal political reforms,” PAP reports.