23.01.2015 18:45 Politics, Belarus — EU
EU wants closer cooperation with Belarus, Estonian ambassador says
Minsk, 23 January. The European Union wants closer cooperation with Belarus, Estonian Ambassador Mait Martinson said in an interview with BelaPAN.
According to Mr. Martinson, EU countries are actively discussing how to break a stalemate in relations with Belarus. “I think that the neither the EU nor Belarus is satisfied with the status quo,” he said. “It’s necessary to get out of the trenches, meet, discuss our views and lay out our arguments. Think about all the wars Europe has had. And yet we’ve managed to find common ground.”
Mr. Martinson said that Brussels and Minsk should try to understand what they expect from each other and why these expectations are not met.
He stressed that there would be no rapprochement with Belarus without the release of the political prisoners.
Although there has been some improvement in bilateral relations, Europe remembers what happened after the thaw that ended in 2010 and does not want to fall into the same trap, Mr. Martinson said, referring to the brutal dispersal of a post-election protest in Minsk and a subsequent crackdown on opposition forces.
According to Mr. Martinson, EU countries are actively discussing how to break a stalemate in relations with Belarus. “I think that the neither the EU nor Belarus is satisfied with the status quo,” he said. “It’s necessary to get out of the trenches, meet, discuss our views and lay out our arguments. Think about all the wars Europe has had. And yet we’ve managed to find common ground.”
Mr. Martinson said that Brussels and Minsk should try to understand what they expect from each other and why these expectations are not met.
He stressed that there would be no rapprochement with Belarus without the release of the political prisoners.
Although there has been some improvement in bilateral relations, Europe remembers what happened after the thaw that ended in 2010 and does not want to fall into the same trap, Mr. Martinson said, referring to the brutal dispersal of a post-election protest in Minsk and a subsequent crackdown on opposition forces.
