Lukashenka is praising “Eastern Partnership” and counts on “the start of a good dialog” with the EU

At the meeting with Helga Schmid, deputy secretary general of the European External Action Service, Lukashenka stressed the role of Belarus in the general structure of safety at the European continent

“In the light of the recent events in Europe you understand that Belarus is one of the countries that can play an important part in building up a safe Europe. All other matters lose their urgency once it comes to the issues of war and peace. In this respect the country which is geographically situated in the center of Europe cannot but have some weight and influence in such matters,” the President’s press service cites his words.

According to him, Belarus is ready to do its utmost to promote cooperation in the area from Lisbon to Vladivostok. “Our cooperation in the format “from Lisbon to Vladivostok” might not be a thing of the distant future. The idea seems very promising. As Belarus holds presidency in the Eurasian Economic Union, the country is ready to do its utmost to make the project a reality. I think that we can engage in a meaningful dialogue in order to promote this kind of relations.”

Lukashenka also said that Belarus joined the “Eastern Partnership” initiative hoping that this will help build a bridge between the East and West:

“This is how it should be. The recent developments have shown that we should not create additional dividing lines. The Eastern Partnership Initiative is meant to unite countries, not bring them apart. We need to look for common ground within the framework of the EaP project and bring the partner states together. This will benefit the European Union, Europe in general and the entire planet.”

According to the Belarusan leader, now the relations between Belarus and the European Union are less unclear than they were earlier. Lukashenka hopes that it is the beginning of a good dialogue with the European Union: “I think that it is a good thing that we are making progress.”

According to him, Belarus is ready to build relations with the EU on an equal and non-discriminatory basis.

In her turn, Helga Maria Schmid agreed that the Eastern Partnership Initiative should not create new dividing lines in Europe: “It was meant to facilitate the development of the partner states and promote stability in the region”.

Apart from the deputy secretary general of the EEAS the meeting was attended by Gunnar Wiegand, director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia, Regional Cooperation and the OSCE at the European External Action Service, and Maira Mora, head of the European Union’s Delegation to Belarus.

The meeting also featured representatives of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, “Viasna” Human Rights Center, the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, International Consortium “EuroBelarus”, a prisoner rights group called Platform Innovation, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), and the Assembly of Pro-Democratic Non-Governmental Organizations.

Valiantsin Stefanovich, deputy chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” said that according to Schmid, Lukashenka told her that Ukraine should remain sovereign and indivisible: “Schmid replied that the EU highly appreciates Belarus’ official stance on Ukraine. At the same time, she said, this does not mean that Belarus’ problems should not be discussed, considering that the EU had always emphasized the importance of European principles and values, which include human rights and democracy.”

According to naviny.by, Schmid expressed regret that there had been fewer “positive changes” in Belarus in 2014 than the EU had hoped to see, Mr. Stefanovich said.

Zhanna Litvina, chairperson of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, said that Ms. Schmid had asked questions about the forthcoming presidential election: “I said that working conditions for journalists always deteriorate in the run-up to elections. The denial of access to information becomes more common.”

Litvina also raised concerns about Russian media propaganda, warning that it “poses a threat to journalism as a profession.”

Dzianis Mialiantsau, a senior analyst at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, said with reference to Gunnar Wiegand that Belarusian government officials would hold a round of consultations with their EU colleagues on March 9 within the framework of the bloc’s European Dialogue on Modernization with Belarus to discuss possibility of reforming Belarus’ judiciary and Electoral Code as well as human rights issues. According to him, Schmid promised that the issue of politically motivated imprisonment would also be under discussion: “I said that liberalization was unlikely in Belarus, simply because there was no need for it. The social contract works a little differently today. In the past, the public demanded prosperity in exchange for loyalty. Now it wants peace. The situation in Ukraine has made any reforms or compromise with the EU unnecessary. In the last four years, Brussels has made all concessions demanded by Minsk even without getting anything in return.”