EUobserver: Belarus might start talks on visa-free regime with the EU

The first condition for the start of visa-free regime with the EU is the release of political prisoners.

Belarusan authorities are to do it in time for an Eastern Partnership summit that is to take place in Riga in May, EUobserver informs with the reference to senior officials from the Latvian EU presidency.

Latvian foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics last week said there are some "new openings" with Belarus and that there is a prospect of starting talks on a visa-free regime with the EU.

Rinkevics, whose country borders Belarus, said that starting talks on visa liberalisation would "also address civil liberties concerns we have".

But according to Andrejs Pildegovics, state secretary in the Latvian foreign ministry, releasing the remaining political prisoners is key to a positive decision.

"We will not review our stance on political prisoners. They have to be freed, three remain behind bars at this moment. We continue to pressure Belarus on their liberation and the same goes for the treatment of minorities," Pildegovics said on Friday (9 January) in Riga, adding that with presidential elections coming up in autumn in Belarus, it will also be important for Lukashenka to allow rivals to mount a challenge him and for the elections to respect international standards.

"Hopefully we can see some progress by May. On the EU-level we had a long 20 years of zero progress - it’s worse than hibernation”, Pildegovics said.

He noted that the months following Russia’s assault on Ukraine, Belarus has become increasingly interested in better relations with the EU, especially on economic co-operation.

"But before we deliver in a consistent way, they have to deliver on human rights issues”, he said.

Juris Poikans, a Latvian diplomat in charge of the EU's Eastern Partnership policy on closer ties with former Soviet states, which includes Belarus, told this website that the single biggest issue in visa liberalisation is whether to include diplomatic passport holders in the first stage of the visa-free talks.

"They want to have the same format as Azerbaijan and Armenia, who started visa liberalisation talks. But in the case of Belarus, we'd have to change the mandate, as it currently does not include diplomatic passport holders," he said.

Poikans said that compared to two years ago, when the Lithuanian EU presidency also sought to resume ties with Belarus, "the contacts now between the EU and Belarus have become more intensive."

"Belarus wants to be represented at the Riga summit at the highest possible level," Poikans said, pointing to the potential presence of Lukashenka, who is on an EU blacklist, at the event.

Belarus in recent months has been feeling the squeeze from the Russian economic meltdown, triggered by EU sanctions and a falling oil price.