Money for Belarusian Opposition Distributed in Poland

Warsaw will host an international donors' conference "Solidarity with Belarus" on Wednesday, February 2. According to Telegraf correspondent from Warsaw, the aim of its members - government delegates and NGO representatives of the EU, countries-candidates for accession to the EU, USA, Canada, Poland and the "Eastern Partnership" (except Belarus) - is to support the Belarusian society financially. 

Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland held a briefing for reporters on Tuesday, February 1. According to him, the ministerial conference will be attended by Sweden, Romania and Estonia.

Despite the fact that the overall objective of the conference is obvious, it remains unclear how it will be distributed. Support will be provided to academic institutions (institutions of education - Telegraf), independent media, opposition leaders and victims of repression, said the spokesman for the Polish Foreign Ministry.

Earlier, the Polish government pledged to allocate ?15 million to develop civil society and democracy in Belarus. These funds are  also planned for the independent media in Belarus, for example,  Belsat TV channel, based in Warsaw.

Poland Considers EU Sanctions against Belarus Too Soft

Representatives of the Polish Foreign Ministry noted in lobby interviews that Poland was not satisfied with the decision of the European Union on sanctions against Belarus. Poland had hoped for tougher sanctions. Sweden supports this position as well.

"Recent developments in Belarus, including the Belarusian authorities' crackdown on opposition in the elections' aftermath and numerous arrests of opposition leaders, only confirmed Belarus's complete neglect of fundamental European values. Repressions have affected the opposition leaders, their supporters, journalists and ordinary people, and they are all now in a desperate need of help," the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the eve of the conference.

"The Belarusian society has confirmed its desire to move towards Europe, and the willingness to build democracy. And now the international community is to responsibly respond to this promise," the Polish Foreign Ministry believes.

"International donors' conference is a key element in shaping policy towards Belarus. Poland was the initiator of the idea of a debate over policy towards Belarus to be followed by financial commitments to help the Belarusian society. We want to use this forum to present the Polish, European and American proposals for the Belarusian democratic movements," the Polish Foreign Ministry.

EU to Broaden Economic Sanctions if Repressions in Belarus Grow, Sikorski

Foreign Ministers of the EU countries said following the meeting on January 31 that they might expand economic sanctions against the Belarusian authorities, if the repressions in the country increased drastically. This was reported by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

As for the reasons which, in the opinion of the European Union,  had caused a severe reaction to the opposition rally on December 19, Radoslaw Sikorski said that "Lukashenko's clues are sometimes difficult to understand." 

Telegraf.By