Minsk Forum’s Result: “If there would be no progress, EU sanctions will return”

A forum “Neighbourhood and Security: Belarus’ prospects in Europe” has finished in Minsk. Europeans are not satisfied with the political situation in Belarus.

During his report at the forum a representative of Belarusian Foreign Ministry Dzyanis Sidarenka expressed himself in favour of continuation of a dialogue between the EU and Belarus. But as said by him, attention should be paid to “expectations, and not to conditions, demands and ultimatums”. He spoke in favour of solving the visa problem for Belarusian citizens, and for creation of a legal base of relations with the EU.

“We see as the new generation of agreements between the EU and Ukraine, the EU and Russia are being worked up. Should we return to the agreement on cooperation and partnership which hadn’t come into force and was created in the middle of the 1990ies? Or is a new agreement needed? Let’s think together. But if we shall create a new agreement, we should start doing it today,” the official said.

Representatives of the German Foreign Ministry noted that they expect concrete steps towards democracy and human rights from Minsk. If positive signals from official Minsk would be materialized in concrete steps, there is a change for a new sage in relations of Europe and Belarus to start. The head of the division for Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova at Germany’s Federal Foreign Office Ernst Reichel noted that the demands of the EU are “to the interests of the Belarusian nation”.

In an interview to Radio Svaboda a German deputy Michael Link stated that Germany is an advocate of Belarus, but not of Lukashenka in the European Union. Summing up the results of the first month after the sanctions’ suspension, Mr Link noted that there are still many plans, but little results. The reform is not rhetoric, but actions. Mr Link noted that the Europeans are not satisfied with the political situation in Belarus.

Will the EU return to the policy of sanctions in five months?

“It is very dangerous, when you first impose sanctions, and then lift them on political grounds. Now the EU opened the doors for Lukashenka and said that in there would be no progress in 6 months, sanctions would be returned. I do not know how they would look like. But I expect from the EU that it would insist on real democratic reforms in Belarus. The so-called parliamentary elections haven’t been a step in right direction,” Michael Link said.

To the question whether Europe would coordinate its moves towards Belarus with the US, Mr Link said that there is little concrete coordination now, as first the EU should speak as one voice.

“You know yourselves, that it is not always easy: Germany says one thing, France another, Poland the third and so on. We are very satisfied for being able to coordinate ourselves. And besides, with the new US President it would be easier to coordinate the policy than with the previous one. There prospects for Belarus in that, as the previous US Administration wasn’t ready for talks with Belarus in principle,” the European politician said.

It had been expected that the main representative of the EU in the talks with Belarus Helga Schmidt would take part in the forum. However, instead of Minsk she went to the EU-Russia summit. The chairman of the Forum Dr Rainer Lindner noted that Europe is waiting for concrete steps from the Belarusian authorities:

“To fulfill the 12 recommendations which are still in force as quickly as possible. And we expect concrete steps from the European Union as well; for instance, streamlining of visa regime which is expected soon. The Forum will send an address to the EU, so that this problem would be solved faster,” the chairman of the Minks Forum stated.