After 20 years of 'zero progress' Belarus may start talks on visa-free EU travel – EUobserver

12.01.201516:06

Belarus may get the first step towards a visa-free regime with the EU if it releases political prisoners in time for an Eastern Partnership summit in May, Belgian e-media EUobserver reports.

According to EUobserver, Latvian foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics last week said there are some “new openings” with Belarus and that there is a prospect of starting talks on a visa-free regime with the EU. He added that starting talks on visa liberalisation would “also address civil liberties concerns we have”.

At the same time, Andrejs Pildegovics, state secretary in the Latvian foreign ministry, says that a key to a positive decision is nothing but releasing the remaining political prisoners.

“We will not review our stance on political prisoners. They have to be freed, three remain behind bars at this moment [according to HRC Viasna, there are six political prisoners in Belarus – Belsat]. We continue to pressure Belarus on their liberation and the same goes for the treatment of minorities,” Pildegovics said on Friday in Riga.

Wiith presidential elections coming up in autumn in Belarus, it will also be important for president Aliaksandr Lukashenka to allow rivals to mount a challenge him and for the elections to respect international standards, he added.

“Hopefully we can see some progress by May. On the EU-level we had a long 20 years of zero progress – it’s worse than hibernation”, Pildegovics said.

He noted that the months following Russia’s assault on Ukraine, Belarus has become increasingly interested in better relations with the EU, especially on economic co-operation

“Belarus wants to be represented at the Riga summit at the highest possible level,” Juris Poikans, a Latvian diplomat in charge of the EU’s Eastern Partnership policy on closer ties with former Soviet states, said.

He apparently pointed to the potential presence of Lukashenka, who is on an EU blacklist, at the event. Compared to two years ago, when the Lithuanian EU presidency also sought to resume ties with Belarus, “the contacts now between the EU and Belarus have become more intensive”, Poikans stressed.