English

EU is value-based community that is not so easy to negotiate with as businesses, says visiting vice president of Bundestag

Belarus views itself as part of Europe and therefore wants to improve its relations with the European Union, but the EU is not only an economic but also a value-based community that is not so easy to negotiate with as businesses, Wolfgang Thierse, vice president of the Bundestag, said at an international conference held Wednesday in Minsk to commemorate former German President Johannes Rau, as quoted by BelaPAN.

Citizens of the EU believe that the state has no right to take away people’s lives and consider the application of the death penalty unacceptable, Dr. Thierse said.

The EU would like to know whether there are “political discussions” in Belarus and whether the rights and freedoms of its residents are respected, he said.

It is impossible to simply copy the experience of one country in another, Dr. Thierse noted.

To bring about reform, it is important for economic partnership between countries to be accompanied by cooperation in the area of human rights and freedoms, he said.

The EU and Germany could contribute to the democratization of Belarus by acting on two German slogans: “Change through Rapprochement” and “Change through Engagement,” Dr. Thierse said.

Civil society work and political life remain the basis of modern society and democracy, he said.