English

Lithuanian foreign minister says that entry ban against Makey was suspended to secure freedom for political prisoners

 

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said in Vilnius on Thursday that the European Union’s entry ban against Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey was an attempt to influence the situation in Belarus, above all, secure the release of the political prisoners.

On Thursday morning, Mr. Linkevicius had a meeting with three Belarusian opposition politicians, namely, Anatol Lyabedzka, chairman of the United Civic Party, Vital Rymashewski, co-chairman of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party; and Andrey Dzmitryyew, deputy chairman of the “Tell the Truth!” movement.

In an interview with BelaPAN, Mr. Dzmitryyew said that the atmosphere of the meeting had been friendly because Mr. Linkevicius had served as Lithuania’s ambassador to Belarus until late 2012 and knew the situation in the country well.

Mr. Linkevicius promised that Lithuania would keep the issue of political prisoners on the agenda, including during the period of its presidency of the EU Council, the latter half of 2013, Mr. Dzmitryyew said.
“Europe understands that everything in Belarus depends on the will of one person and believes that the ball is now in Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s court,” he said.

According to Mr. Dzmitryyew, participants at the meeting also discussed who should represent Belarus at an Eastern Partnership summit to be held in Vilnius in November 2013. “We are convinced that no one on the EU’s blacklist should be allowed to participate in it and suggest inviting Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich to the summit,” he said. “However, the most important thing is that representatives of opposition forces attend the summit to provide balance.”

Also under discussion at the meeting was the implementation of the EU’s program called the European Dialogue on Modernization with Belarus, Mr. Dzmitryyew said. “In our opinion, it is necessary to define the term ‘modernization’ so that it is not reduced to cosmetic change,” he said. “We also believe that the EU should not only devise reform programs but also help Belarus become involved in European processes. For example, signing the European Charter of Local Self-Government would bring Belarus at least a little closer to Europe.”

According to Mr. Dzmitryyew, Mr. Linkevicius revealed that Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey was expected to participate in a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Eastern Partnership participating countries in Brussels this July. “Linkevicius described his meeting with us as a crucial part for his preparations for meeting with Makey,” he said. // BelaPAN