EP president calls on critical dialogue with Belarus

• 8.05.2009, 17:15

Hans-Gert Poettering made this statement ahead of the Eastern Partnership summit in Prague.

As Radio Svaboda reports, according to Hans-Gert Poettering, inclusion of Belarus in the program doesn’t mean Europe has and given up its policy. He calls the EU to a critical dialogue with official Minsk in connection with situation with human rights in Belarus.

It should be reminded that summit launching the European Partnership program opened in Prague today. Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine participate in the EU’s program.

The official Belarusian delegation for the Eastern Partnership summit consists of first deputy prime minister Uladzimir Syamashka and foreign minister Syarhei Martynau. Many European politicians opposed Belarus’s presence in Prague.

Belarusian opposition politicians and human rights activists repeatedly stated visit of Alyaksandr Lukashenka to Prague was impossible while there are political prisoners in the country, opposition is suffering from repressions, elections results are rigged, cases of kidnappings and killings of Belarusian opposition leaders and a journalist are not investigated.