Justas Paleckis: EU-Belarus ties won't change until political prisoner issue solved

There will be no progress in the EU ties with Belarus until settlement of the issue of persecution of political prisoners by authoritarian Aliaksandr Lukashenka's regime.

This opinion was shared by Justas Paleckis, the Lithuanian MEP, working on a report on EU-Minsk relations. After a visit in Minsk last week, the politician told BNS he met with Belarusan foreign and economic vice-ministers and Lukashenka's foreign policy adviser, as well as Western diplomats and key Belarusan opposition figures.

„During my conversation with opposition figures, representatives of the administration and diplomats, the same issue of political prisoners was in the air, it is the main obstacle, if it is not settled, any considerable progress is out of the question,“ said Paleckis, a member of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party and the EP's Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.

Asked to specify the position expressed by Belarusan authorities about political prisoners, he said there were „no promises“.

In his opinion, progress in the EU-Belarusan relations can be expected after Lithuania takes over EU presidency in the second half of this year.

„The impression is that there was a minor improvement in the EU-Belarusan relations before my trip to Belarus, the improvement can hardly be described as improvement, and it was more of a positive step in the direction. I am a bit more optimistic after visiting Minsk. It seems to me that there are possibilities to move forward, especially when Lithuania holds EU presidency in the second half of this year”, Paleckis told.