Alyaksandr Lukashenka invited to Brussels - media


The leaders of the EU’s six neighbours involved in the EaP are expected to attend an anniversary celebration that will be held on May, 13 in Brussels, New Europe reports. As it appears from the report, Alyaksandr Lukashenka has been invited as well.

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is a joint initiative involving the EU, its member states and six Eastern European partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The EaP aims at building a common area of shared democracy, prosperity, stability and increased cooperation. Bonds forged through the EaP are to make both the EU and the partners stronger and better able to deal with internal and external challenges.

The event will be hosted by EU Council President Donald Tusk and followed by discussing the need for progress in the areas of the rule of law, governance, and anti-corruption. According to New Europe, the programme aims to encourage Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine to undertake reforms, in return for closer relations and economic benefits from the West.

“The Eastern Parternship has evolved against the background of not always easy political context and the security challenges of our partner countries. This is not a framework that is designed to make countries choose between Russia or the European Union, but based on voluntary cooperation,” the media outlet quotes a senior EU official.

In March, Polish president Andrzej Duda issued invitations to the ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War to leaders of EU, NATO and the EaP countries, including Alyaksandr Lukashenka. But the Belarusian leader is unlikely to accept it as Russia’s Vladimir Putin was not invited to the event.

At the same time, Lukashenka is set to come to Vienna in H2 2019. Belsat TV sources have confirmed that his visit to Austria is in the making.

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In February 2016, in the wake of the latest presidential elections in Belarus, the EU decided to lift its sanctions against Alyaksandr Lukashenka and 169 Belarusian officials cancelling the visa ban and assets freeze.

In 2018, the Belarusian leader was invited to Paris to take part in the events on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. However, Alyaksandr Lukashenka failed to show up at the celebrations in November; our country was represented by Mikhail Myasnikovich, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of Belarus.

belsat.eu, following New Europe

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