News and Media Coverage of Minsk Forum XI
EU expecting Minsk's steps toward democracy, human rights, German foreign minister says
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The European Unions is hoping and expecting that the Belarusian government will "decisively" continue to move toward democracy and respect for human rights, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement issued on the occasion of the 11th Minsk Forum that opened in Minsk on Thursday.
September's parliamentary elections in Belarus fell short of expectations, with the Belarusian government understanding it and sending a signal that it is ready to reform electoral regulations to bring them into line with the OSCE's standards, the minister said.
He said that the Belarusians were above all expecting progress on press freedom.
The minister emphasized the need for the Minsk Forum, organized annually by the German embassy. "Exchange between states and societies is the precondition for crossing borders and achieving mutual understanding among people," he said.
Mr. Steinmeier promised that he would personally make every effort to ensure that "new opportunities for dialogue are used."
He said that he had firmly supported the resumption of political contacts with Minsk in response to its release of political dissidents despite the "controversy" of the thaw.
German Ambassador Gebhardt Weiss said in his speech at the forum that every new step toward tackling political problems would "guarantee Belarus the improvement of its image, stronger competitiveness and more stable future."
"The point is not about the investment climate, easier tax and customs systems or fight against corruption but rather about political predictability accompanied by sustainable conditions and respect for fundamental values by which 500 million people of our continent are guided in their own and collective self-realization," the ambassador said.
"Each step backward can have negative effects on the interests and future of the country," he said.
Mr. Weiss said that the previous forum was taking place against the backdrop of the successful economic development of Belarus but well-known political problems, while this one was taking place amid fewer political problems but serious challenges facing the country's economy. //BelaPAN
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Presidential Administration head criticizes isolation of Belarus, pledges media changes
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The head of the Presidential Administration has criticized the isolation of Belarus by the West and promised "positive steps" on the part of the country's authorities in the media market.
"Belarus, an integral part of Europe, has been absolutely undeservingly facing economic and political pressure for many years, becoming a source for the production of sinister and fantastic thrillers," the head, Uladzimir Makey, said at the opening of the 11th Minsk Forum on Thursday.
Mr. Makey called for an "unbiased look" at Belarus.
"Hardly anyone will deny that Belarus is making a significant contribution into the security of Europe thanks to it sustainable social and economic growth, concord in society, well-balanced and peaceful foreign policy course," he said.
For the first time a head of the Presidential Administration accepted the invitation of the Minsk-based German embassy to take part in the annual forum.
Mr. Makey repeated the authorities' mantra that they were ready for sincere dialogue with the European Union based on equality and mutual respect.
He expressed the opinion that it made no sense for the West to continue the isolation of Belarus, describing the past years of the isolation as lost.
He said that Belarus and the European Union had now a "unique opportunity" to improve relations. "Processes that seemed to be highly unlikely three years ago are possible now. Perhaps, something what seems to be unlikely today will become possible tomorrow. Who knows?" he said.
He denied that there had been political prisoners in the country. Those regarded by some as such had been convicted on criminal charges, he stressed. "Law is equal for everyone," he said. "A different thing is that it can run counter to democratic reality that is needed. Then, it should be changed."
This past September, the European Union suspended for six months its travel sanctions against top Belarusian officials, primarily in response to the release of political dissidents seen by the country's opposition and the West as political prisoners. The EU said that it was expecting further steps from the Belarusian government.
Mr. Makey pledged positive moves in the media market and recalled that proposals for the improvement of environment for small businesses would soon be tabled to Alyaksandr Lukashenka. "Nobody is or will be pursuing the goal of eradicating enterprise," he said.
The official said that economic matters were a key priority for Belarus in relations with the EU, expressing confidence that the Belarusians "are able to make a significant contribution to the development of common Europe."
He criticized Brussels for high Schengen visa fees that apply to Belarusian nationals as well.
Mr.
Makey assured the gathering that the authorities of Belarus were
paying heed to criticism to "remedy flaws and constantly improve
the political and economic system."
"We, Europeans,
share one history and humanitarian values. But the so-called western
democracy cannot be copied at once. Every country has its own
traditions and every people have their own national ethical and
psychological peculiarities," he said. //BelaPAN
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Belarus is not ready to abandon strategic partnership with Russia in favor of improving relations with EU, official says
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Belarus
is not ready to abandon strategic partnership with Russia in favor of
improving relations with the European Union, Andrey Yaroshkin, deputy
head of the foreign ministry's foreign
policy analysis department, said at the 11th Minsk Forum on Thursday.
"Belarus and Russia are bound by an allied relationship
that is based on bilateral agreements," Mr. Yaroshkin said. "We
are going to abide by them."
At the same time the
preservation of sovereignty is "the cornerstone of our
integration," he stressed.
The question whether Belarus
should choose Russia or the West is far-fetched and opportunistic,
Mr. Yaroshkin said. "We need normal relations with Europe, too,
but we don't intend to develop one area at the expense of the other,"
he said.
Belarus is "really ready" to develop its
relations with Europe, Mr. Yaroshkin stressed. "Belarus strongly
supports greater cooperation, while simultaneously advocating respect
for each others rights and interests and opposing the use of tools of
political, military, or economic pressure in international
relations."
"We have noticed, of course, that
changes in the efficiency of the development of our relations with
Europe occurred amid a certain cooling in relations between Moscow
and Brussels," Mr. Yaroshkin said. "But I don't want to
believe that it was increased tension in relations with Moscow that
caused our cooperation with the European Union to increase. I do not
rule out that some European Union politicians would point to the need
to maintain a balance between the EU and Moscow to save their face,
change their position, and move away from the policy of isolating our
country."
The EU has submitted five proposals for
improving the situation in Belarus to the Belarusian government, said
Jean-Eric Holzapfel, charge d’affaires of the European Commission’s
delegation to Belarus. Whether or not the Council of the European
Union will re-impose the suspended sanctions on Belarusian government
officials in April 2009 will depend on the fulfillment of its
conditions, Mr. Holzapfel said.
One should not imagine that
Belarus has long been knocking on the EU door, Mr. Yaroshkin said.
"The interest is mutual and any dialogue leads to progress,"
he said. "Twelve years haven't been wasted. We don't want to
waste time. One shouldn't expect that all issues will be done away
with tomorrow or within five months. But let's expect something
positive."
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Foreign ministry suggests formalizing Belarus-EU relationship
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It
is necessary to legally formalize the relationship between Belarus
and the European Union, Dzyanis Sidarenka, head of the OSCE and
Council of Europe division
of the Belarusian foreign ministry’s Main Europe Directorate, said
while speaking at the 11th Minsk Forum on Saturday. Mr. Sidarenka
suggested making a decision on the status of the Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement (PCA), which was signed in 1995 but has never
come into force.
A new
page has been turned in the relations between Belarus and the EU, Mr.
Sidarenka said, suggesting continuing a dialogue and an effort to
work out differences. He stressed that Brussels should talk about its
expectations, not conditions for the development of relations with
Belarus. The interests of common people in the EU and Belarus should
be prioritized, he said.
Ernst Reichel, head of the division
for Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova at Germany’s Federal
Foreign Office, noted that there is no legal basis for the
development of relations between Minsk
and Brussels without the PCA. The closer Belarus is to the EU, the
higher expectations will be, he said. No matter how the EU’s
conditions may be called, expectations or otherwise, the time will
come in five months for Brussels to determine what the Belarusian
authorities have done, Mr. Reichel said. The EU’s conditions are
not what the EU needs; they are in the interests of the Belarusian
people, he added.
According to him, Brussels does not make
Belarus choose between the EU and Russia. There is nothing wrong with
Belarus’ intention of cooperating with all of its neighbors, he
said.
Michael Georg Link, a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) group in Germany’s Bundestag and a member of the Bundestag’s Committee on the Affairs of the European Union, suggested that the Belarusian authorities would have to move from promises to action in the next five months. Belarus is an important independent state that should become a subject, not an object of international politics, Mr. Link said. “We can’t afford wasting time,” he added.
In mid-October, the European Union suspended for six months its travel ban against Alyaksandr Lukashenka and 35 other Belarusian officials in an attempt to encourage democracy in the country.
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Milinkevich praises head of Presidential Administration as well-educated, Europeanized man
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Former
presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich praised Uladzimir
Makey, head of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s Presidential Administration,
as a “well-educated and
Europeanized man.”
He
does not have a complex about Europe unlike other government
officials, Mr. Milinkevich said in an interview with BelaPAN
following his informal meeting with Mr. Makey on the sidelines of the
11th Minsk Forum
on Thursday.
“I told him about our strategy and said that I
view the situation in Belarus as very difficult, above all in the
economic sphere,” Mr. Milinkevich said. “I insisted that if no
attempts are made to modernize the economy, Belarus will find itself
in full dependence on Russia, which is not in the interests of both
the government and the opposition and the people of Belarus.”
“We
should combine our efforts where possible in order to defend the
independence of our country,” Mr. Milinkevich said. “We may have
different strategic views about the future of Belarus. We are sure to
remain opponents. But it is very important that the elite in power
and the counter-elite should reach a mutual understanding when it is
about the fate of the nation.”
According
to Mr. Milinkevich, the head of the Presidential Administration was
“diplomatically reserved.” “I spoke more than he did, but he
seemed to be well-informed about everything,” Mr. Milinkevich said.
“I know that people within government circles are discussing
the possibility of cooperation with the opposition in certain areas.
We have long been suggesting that a domestic dialogue should be
established. But I’m a pragmatist. At present the opposition has no
opportunity to be a third party in talks between Europe and the
Belarusian authorities. But we are indirectly involved in the
negotiating process, as Europe consults us about various matters. The
authorities don’t do this yet. For the time being, preparations are
under way for such a dialogue. I think it will eventually begin.”
Mr. Milinkevich noted that Belarus would have to go through a
very complicated step-by-step process for the normalization of its
relations with the European Union, and that a dialogue between the
government and opposition forces would help Minsk
carry out the EU’s recommendations for democratic change in the
country. “It will be helpful not because we are smarter but because
we have a different point of view,” Mr. Milinkevich said. “We
should be united by the idea that we live in one country whose
independence is not negotiable.”
Uladzimir Makey, formerly a
presidential aide, was appointed head of the Presidential
Administration on July 15. He was born in the Hrodna region on August
5, 1958. In 1980, he graduated from the Minsk
State Teachers’ Training Institute of Foreign Languages (currently
Minsk
Linguistic University). He served with the USSR Armed Forces between
1980 and 1992. He received training at the Diplomacy Academy in
Vienna in 1992-93. He speaks English and German, and holds the
military rank of colonel in the reserve.
Mr. Makey served at
the foreign ministry from 1993 through 2000, being Belarus’
representative to the Council of Europe and counselor at the
Belarusian embassy in France between 1996 and 1999, and head of the
ministry’s Pan-European Cooperation department in 1999 and 2000. In
March 2000, he was appointed presidential aide.
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