Ulad Vialichka: EU is ready to shut its eyes to many things

photo by Labadzenka.bY

The management of the EU is ready to relax its demands to the official Minsk due to the crisis of the European politics in relation to Belarus and the conflict in Ukraine.

Such opinion in the interview to the weekly “Belarusy I rynok” (“Belarusans and market”) voiced Ulad Vialichka, the head of the International Consortium “EuroBelarus”,

- Some people think that now we observe thaw and certain development in Belarus-EU relations. Can you agree with that?

- It depends on the assessment criteria. Personally, I see no considerable grounds for talking about changes in relations. The so-called Realpolitik dictates the need to relax mutual stance between the Belarusan authorities and the official EU structures.

For one side it is dictated by the need to balance between the western and the eastern vectors of politics, and for the other – by the lack of progress in relations with Belarus over a long period of time and by the need to demonstrate at least some development.

In result, we observe political climate that makes both sides flatter each other, while there are no significant economy, political or social factors to talk about qualitative change in relations.

- Many experts note Europe’s readiness to relax its stance on the official Minsk. In your opinion, with what can the EU put up for the sake of Realpolitik?

- Judging by today’s situation the EU is ready to put up with too much. Political bodies of the EU not only fail to be coherent in demands they made earlier, but also connive at the recent actions taken by the Belarusan authorities, such as deportation of Elena Tonkacheva. Up for today the EU hasn’t taken any action and even hasn’t voiced its opinion on the issue.

Compared with the Ukrainian events the EU is afraid of, Belarus seems to be an autocratic but quite calm state. So we can really say that the EU is ready to put up with a lot of things. But today’s Belarus-EU relations are being developed according to the rules of the Belarusan side, not European.

- In late October the EU Council decided to shorten the black list by 33 positions. Should we expect that the EU sanction-list is shortened again?

- There is no need to highlight the sanction list, as I think that it is technicalities that define its membership.

- What does the official Minsk want now?

- I think the situation remains unchanged here, and Minsk wants all the things it wanted earlier: economic cooperation, economic preferences without any political terms regarding democracy, human rights, court and political reforms.

- Should we expect that the relation of Belarusan authorities towards the “Eastern Partnership” program and more local initiatives, such as “European dialog on modernization” and “Reforum” is changed?

- Belarusan authorities put Eastern Partnership and “European Dialog on Modernization” on the black list, which is seen in different forms, starting from absolute disdain of these programs.

Recently we can see certain activity of the Belarusan side in the EaP, but if you ask me what this activity is all about I will hardly answer that question. I can name a minimal number of actions that are, first of all, related to the visa liberalization. Though usually if there is political will to liberalization this process goes much quicker.

As to the other initiatives - “European dialog on modernization” and “Reforum”, the decision that Belarus doesn’t recognize any forms of civil society’s participation (in Belarus-EU relations) was made; and, accordingly, disdain can be seen at all levels. Belarusan authorities insist on direct bilateral dialog with the EU structures, and any formats that are in these programs and that are aimed at multilateral communication are non-recognized and avoided in every way.