Belarusian MFA threats to Eastern Partnership

Belarus may refuse to attend the Eastern Partnership summit in Warsaw on September 29-30.

This statement was made by Andrei Savinykh, the Belarusian MFA press secretary.

“If the format or status of participation of Victor Gaisenok will be limited in any way, the Belarusian party reserves the right to refuse to participate in the summit,” Andrei Savinykh responded to the publication by the Polish Press Agency. “We have taken note of the publication by the Polish Press Agency, which makes reference to the statement of Press Secretary of the MFA of Poland stating the “intention to determine the form of participation” of the Belarusian delegation in the summit of Eastern Partnership.”

The Belarusian MFA thinks any participant of the EaP project has a sovereign right to determine the level, personal composition and the form of participation in the activities of the Eastern Partnership.

“The Belarusian side in compliance with all procedures has duly appointed the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Poland Victor Gaisenok as its representative at the summit. If the format or status of participation of Victor Gaisenok will be limited in any way, the Belarusian party reserves the right to refuse to participate in the summit,” Andrei Savinykh said. “From a legal point of view the summit documents would not be legitimate, if adopted without the consent of the head of the Belarusian delegation.”

We remind that Marcin Bosacki, the Polish MFA press spokesman, said the issue of representation of Belarus at the summit not by foreign minister Syarhei Martynau, but by ambassador Victor Gaisenok “was under discussion”, wp.pl reports.