Visa facilitation for Belarus and removal of travel ban remain open questions, OSCE chairman says

It is not yet clear whether the European Union will ease travel for Belarusians and remove its entry ban on the country's officials, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, the current chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), told reporters in Minsk on Tuesday.

Earlier reports had it that EU foreign ministries could discuss at their meeting on October 13 the possibility of removing the ban and cutting the Schengen visa fee for Belarusian citizens from ?60 to ?35.

"The EU is in the process of preparing a conclusion on Belarus," Mr. Stubb said. "There are still many questions that remain open, two of which are visa facilitation and the travel ban."

He said that one of the main purposes of his visit to Minsk was to prepare a report ahead of the October 13 meeting in Luxemburg.

Mr. Stubb arrived in Minsk on a one-day visit to meet with Belarusian Foreign Minister Syarhey Martynaw and Alyaksandr Lukashenka. He said that the talks had been constructive.

"Sensitive issues such as the death penalty, the freedom of assembly, non-governmental organizations and elections" were discussed, Mr. Stubb said.

He noted that the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights was working on the final assessment of Belarus' parliamentary elections.

"We will see what comes out," he said. "We will listen to the opposition and I will make my own judgment. These things will be taken into account." 

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