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  • A European Belarus

    A EUROPEAN BELARUS
    By Franco Frattini and Vygaudas UÅ¡ackas

    European Voice
    13.10.2009 / 16:54 CET

    The foreign ministers of Italy and Lithuania argue that the anomaly
    of Belarus's self-isolation may slowly be ending.

    Can Belarus, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, find its
    place in a Europe that has overcome many difficulties to become both
    united and democratic? How does Europe see its relations with this
    country in the future? These are but a few questions that diplomats
    and politicians are now asking.

    For most of that time - the past 15 years - Belarus has chosen to
    isolate itself from the European continent. This self-isolation is
    an anomaly: Italy and Lithuania are convinced that Belarus is an
    indivisible part of Europe, for reasons of geography, history and
    religion. Moreover, separation benefits neither Belarus nor Europe.

    Over the past year, though, there have been some shift in the
    relationship between the EU and Belarus. Last August, after Belarus
    took a few steps that the international community had been waiting
    for, releasing the former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin
    and other political prisoners and permitting the newspapers Narodnaya
    Volya and Nasha Niva to be published and distributed. The EU took
    a reciprocal step and decided to suspend the visa ban imposed when
    the presidential election in 2006 failed to comply with democratic
    standards.

    The EU took one more step and in May this year invited Belarus,
    together with Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, to
    join its Eastern Partnership programme, a regional forum intended to
    facilitate economic and political engagement with the six countries, as
    well as to strengthen Belarus's human and social links with the rest of
    Europe. The European Parliament, in its turn, adopted a resolution on
    Belarus setting out its view of the direction of further collaboration.

    If this policy of "gradual engagement" is to bring good results,
    Belarus needs to demonstrate its commitment to the values of democracy,
    human righ 's development and peaceful co-existence.

    The simple fact is that Europe and Belarus need each other, for very
    practical reasons. Belarus needs integration with Europe to ensure
    its economic development and social stability. Europe needs Belarus
    because its geopolitical location makes it an important energy partner
    - 20% of the gas that Russia sends to Europe crosses Belarus - and
    an important partner in the effort to curb illegal trade and migration.

    For these reasons, stronger ties between Belarus and Europe are also
    in the interests of Russia. An independent and stable Belarus cannot
    and must not be seen as being directed against Russia.

    Italy and Lithuania have always spoken out in favour of a policy of
    gradual opening up to Belarus. We are now actively fostering that
    process, through bilateral instruments. On 16 September, Belarus's
    president, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, visited Vilnius to take part in the
    International Economic Forum and to meet his Lithuanian counterpart,
    Dalia GrybauskaitÄ-. On 30 September, one of the authors of this
    article - Franco Frattini - visited Minsk, reciprocating a visit to
    Italy last spring by Belarusian Foreign Minister Serhiy Martynov.

    Italy and Lithuania also support the aid that the EU might provide to
    help Belarus overcome the dramatic social problems that are emerging
    there, caused in part by the world economic crisis.

    We expect Belarus to start to feel the advantages of ties with
    Europe. What we insist is that the persecution of people for their
    civil and political convictions or public activities, limitations on
    the independence of the media and non-governmental organisations must
    truly become a thing of the past. Future elections have to comply
    with recognised international standards set by the Organisation for
    Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). And Belarus must respect
    the territorial integrity of every country, Georgia included.

    Europe and Belarus are building a partnership. It will become a full
    partnership when mutual trust is complete.

    Vygaudas foreign minister of Italy.

    © 2009 European Voice. All rights reserved.
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