Today Belarus expects big delegation of EU diplomats

Representatives of the foreign ministries of seven member countries of the European Union are visiting Belarus on February 9.

A delegation of the foreign ministries of the Visegrad Group countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) are to visit Belarus on February 9. The delegation will have meetings with representatives of the foreign ministry, the Presidential Administration and the Council of Ministers.

Participants at the meeting are expected to discuss issues relating to cooperation between Belarus and the Visegrad Group, the current state and development prospects of relations between Belarus and the EU and regional security issues, naviny.by informs.

Earlier reports had it that representatives of the foreign ministries of Austria, the United Kingdom and Germany would stay in Minsk on February 9 and 10. They are scheduled to have meetings with Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makei.

The European Union is to decide by February 29 whether to re-impose its restrictive measures against Belarusian authorities, prolong their suspension or abolish them altogether.

The Council drew up their blacklist of Belarusian individuals and economic entities in January 2011, following a brutal police crackdown on a post-election protest in Minsk. The list was repeatedly extended and included as many as 243 Belarusian individuals and 32 business entities at one point.