Foreign Ministry of Czech Republic: In order to get to EU, Belarus should take path of democratic development

• 30.10.2008, 9:25

The Foreign Ministry of the Czech Republic named conditions under which the Belarusian authorities could be invited to the EU summit.

“It is possible that during the chairmanship of the Czech Republic in the European Union a summit with participation of Eastern partners of the EU – Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. We are not sure yet whether Belarus would be represented there,” the official representative of the Czech Foreign Ministry Zuzana Opletalová.

The final decision on participants and the date of the summit is to be decided at the meeting of MEPs in December.

However, the Belarusian opposition has received an invitation to take part in the summit, while Alyaksandr Lukashenka still has time till December to hold democratic reforms, Deutsche Welle informs.

“We would like to see Belarus there, but the country should fulfill a number of conditions for that: to join the program of Eastern partnership, and certainly, take the path of democratic development,” Zuzana Opletalová said.

The Czech Republic is to become chairman of the EU since January 1, 2009.