Swedish foreign ministry will support efforts to lower Schengen visa fees for Belarusians

The Swedish foreign ministry will support efforts to lower Schengen visa fees for Belarusian citizens, Lyavon Barshchewski, chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), told BelaPAN.

Mr. Barshchewski was on a BPF delegation that stayed in Sweden between February 13 and 17 and held talks at the Swedish foreign ministry. The group also included First Deputy Chairman Vintsuk Vyachorka and Deputy Chairman Alyaksey Yanukevich.

The delegation participated in a conference on the situation in Belarus in 2007 and met with Goran Lennmarker, president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly; Gunilla Carlsson, minister for international development cooperation; members of the Swedish parliament; and representatives of political parties, Mr. Barshchewski said.

According to him, the delegation was asked questions about the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Belarus. “One of the questions was whether the pro-democratic forces had a common stance on participation in the elections,” he said. “There was a positive reaction when we said that the forces had drawn up a single list of nominees.”

When asked if Sweden should maintain ties with the Belarusian authorities, the BPF delegation noted that economic ties and environmental cooperation are things that nations cannot do without, but there should be no contacts with those involved in repressive measures, Mr. Barshchewski said.

According to him, also under discussion was the forthcoming 90th anniversary of the Belarusian National Republic (BNR), which opposition forces plan to mark by a large demonstration in Minsk on March 25.

Swedish officials promised assistance in organizing events in the European Parliament on the occasion of the historic date.