Belarus is a stain on Europe’s conscience

A security conference GLOBSEC took place in Bratislava on 18-20 April.

From Belarus the conference was attended by the leader of the European Belarus civic campaign, presidential candidate 2010 and a former political prisoner Andrej Sannikau; the charter97.org web-site’s editor in chief Natalla Radzina; the European Belarus civic campaign’s coordinator Uladzimir Kobec; leader of the Movement for Freedom Aliaksandr Milinkievich; the head of the Belarusian Analytical Workshop Andrej Vardamatski; BISS’ analyst Dzianis Mel’jancou and other representatives of civil society.

In the course of the forum the leader of the European Belarus discussed the situation in our country with leading politicians, civic activists, journalists. In particular, Andrej Sannikau held a number of meetings and negotiations with the European Union’s commissioner Stefan Fule; the president of Estonia Toomas Ilves; former Prime-Minister of Slovakia Mikulash Dzurynda; the US Secretary of State’s aide Thomas Countryman; special representative of the UN in Afghanistan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia Jan Kubysh; MEP Charles Tennock; well-known Slovak civil activist Pavol Demesh; deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo Petrit Selimi; other politicians and heads of non-governmental organizations and major analytical centers.

“I am at GLOBSEC for the first time and have to say that I will remember this forum very well. First of all, because in this time a historical agreement was signed between Serbia and Kosovo with the European Union’s mediation.  For me it is a very encouraging fact, since it testifies that the European Union is capable of solving most difficult tasks within short time frames. It is exactly this kind of approach that is needed towards Belarus. Apart from that, a prominent geo-politician Zbignew Brzezinski was present at the forum and made a speech. It is not the first time that I was listening and talking to Brzezinski, but his speech made a great impression on me and other forum’s participants. He made very clear accents as to the processes, taking place in the world, brought out the main problems and outlined the ways out of the difficult situations. But most of all I was impressed by his optimistic vision of the development of events in our region. He, by the way, mentioned Belarus. I would advise to find on the web and listen to his speech”, - Sannikau said.

GLOBSEC’s program was very rich and comprehensive. Most acute modern problems in different regions of the world in different areas were discussed. The issue of Belarus and the incumbent dictatorial regime was voiced as well.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Laichak said that Belarus is “a stain on Europe’s conscience”. We managed to talk about the situation in Belarus and the European approaches with the European commissioner Stefan Fule. The conversation was open and I was glad to hear that Stefan Fule emphasized that the European Union does not step back on its principles and will never put a carriage in front of a horse. It was, of course, the matter of the release of the political prisoners and I brought this issue up in the conversations with everyone, trying for my interlocutors to get the idea of how hard it is today for our friends and colleagues in Lukashenka’s concentration camps. In my view, Europe has been putting not enough effort in the matter of their release. Unfortunately, the most dangerous tendency has been outlined, which we have seen before. It is all called a beautiful word engagement, which actually means an attempt of cooperation with a dictatorship. It never brought results, but led to the growth of repressions. In the 19 years of Lukashenka’s rule one could have understood it very well. And it is good that there are politicians and civic activists, who realize that very well, and there were enough of them at GLOBSEC. As one of them said, referring to Reagan and Thatcher’s policy, “the so-called stability in dictatorial countries will never suit us”, - Andrej Sannikau said.  

“I spoke to prominent politicians, who once actually fought, not analyzed, dictatorships in Czechoslovakia, in the Balkans, in Poland, Hungary. I got convinced that our views are absolutely identical, and we may count on their support. People, who faced the horror of dictatorships, realize that it is only possible to resist dictators resting upon principles and values, but not undermining those. We see today how North Korea is blackmailing the civilized world. Lukashenka is doing the same by the means of economic blackmailing against some countries of the European Union in order to retain power. And giving in to this blackmailing, playing by a dictator’s rules, European politicians lose not only their face and reputation, but also deprive whole nations of the future.

GLOBSEC is a very high rank forum; 24 hours a day were even not enough. We have managed to talk to and take interviews from many interesting people. They will appear on the charter97.org web-site shortly”, - Natalla Radzina said.

“The solidarity, which allowed to liberate Central Europe from totalitarianism, does exist. And the participants of GLOBSEC, who received this experience, understand us very well and do not understand those, who speak of the trade in values today calling it a dialogue with the dictator. Fundamental principles, on which the European Union was built, imply the contrary. The power and will of European politicians are tried exactly by the case of Belarus. There are thousands dissidents behind their backs, their self-sacrifice in the name of the prosperity of future generations. The defeat of the principled policy towards Belarus would entail much more far reaching consequences than the economic problems of Greece and Cyprus. It is time to unite for all those, who realize the responsibility of the European project. The overthrow of the dictatorship in Belarus would help Ukraine and change the future of Russia”, - a coordinator of the European Belarus civic campaign Uladzimir Kobec is sure.