EU commissioner Johannes Hahn met with opposition representatives in Minsk

The participants of the meeting agreed not to quote specific statements of one another.

Minsk hosted a meeting between Johannes Hahn, the European Union’s commissioner for European neighborhood policy and enlargement negotiations, and Belarusian opposition politicians. The meeting was attended by Iryna Veshtard, chairperson of the Hramada Belarusian Social Democratic Party; Aliaksandr Milinkevich, chairperson of the Movement for Freedom; Anatoly Liabedzka, chairperson of the United Civic Party; Aliaksei Janukevich, chairperson of the Belarusian Popular Front; Volha Kavalkova, an activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party; and former presidential candidate Uladzimir Niakliaeu. 

According to Janukevich, Dr. Hahn was well aware of the situation in Belarus and the challenges and threats the country was facing. 
Participants at the meeting discussed threats to Belarus’ independence, the situation in the region, the state of the dialogue between Belarusian authorities and the European Union, and the forthcoming presidential election in Belarus, BelaPAN informs.
According to the EU Delegation to Belarus, Dr. Hahn is to visit the Belarusian capital city on April 16 and 17 to evaluate the possibility of improving relations between Brussels and Minsk.
EU commissioner for European neighborhood policy last visited Belarus in 2010. Stefan Fule visited the country in this capacity in July and November 2010.

As “EuroBelarus” Information Service earlier reported, on the threshold of his visit to Minsk, Dr. Hahn met with Belarusian human rights activist and chairman of the “Viasna” Human Rights Center Ales Bialiatski.