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Eastern Partnership may bring Belarus closer to democracy, opposition politician says

The European Union`s Eastern Partnership program may contribute to Belarus` progress toward democracy and respect for human rights, Syarhey Kalyakin, leader of the Spravedlivy Mir (Just World) Belarusian Party of the Left, said at an international conference in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday.

The opposition politician said that he did not expect Belarus to dramatically increase its involvement in the Eastern Partnership and secure closer economic ties with the EU "in the near future."

At the same time, he said, visa formalities may be eased between Belarus and the 28-nation. "Belarus has made the least progress in the sphere as Belarusian visas have the highest cost," said Mr. Kalyakin. "But there`s the example of Ukraine, which unilaterally scrapped visa fees for EU citizens. I don`t rule out that the EU could act in the same way and unilaterally abolish visa fees [for Belarusians]."

Mr. Kalyakin accused the Belarusian authorities of delaying the signing of a visa facilitation agreement with the EU on purpose. "People who travel to the EU see that the Belarusian state is behind EU countries as far as it concerns living standards and democracy. It is to Lukashenka`s advantage to put the brakes on closer ties between Belarus and the EU in the humanitarian sphere. Belarusians` visits to EU countries destroy the picture of the government`s achievements in Belarus, which has been painted by the state media," he said.

The politician said that "the Russian capitalism is worse than the European one." "Belarus is in for a difficult path of defending its interests balancing between Russia and the European Union," he noted. //BelaPAN