Andrei Sannikau: “Energy cooperation between Belarus and the EU was canceled because of repressions against opposition”

Charter’97 international coordinator, former Vice Foreign Minister Andrei Sannikau was in Brussels September 20-21 on behalf of the organization committee of the European March. During his visit to the Belgian capital, Andrei Sannikau met with representatives of the European Commission: Hilde Hardeman, Head of Unit for Relations with Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus at the European Commission; Pirkka Tapiola, senior adviser to the EU high representative for the common foreign and security policy; other officials of the European Commission, European Union Council, and Henrik H. Kroner, Secretary General of the European Movement.

- Mr. Sannikau, what was the purpose of your trip to Brussels?

- The purpose was to present information about the arrangement of the European March, about the address of the opposition to the authorities offering a discussion of peaceful environment for the March, about the situation in Belarus on the whole, about the current state of relations between the European Union and Minsk.

I have reported to the European Commission and European Union Council representatives that the organization of the European March and the proposals of cooperation on the European March are upheld by all democratic forces of the country: political parties, civil society, human rights organizations, and Europe-oriented elites.

Of course, the issue of lower visa prices for Belarusians was discussed. An agreement was reached with influential international nongovernmental organizations – they are to lobby the issue in the interest of the Belarusian nation. In particular, it was proposed to reduce the visa price first for young people.

- Have you discussed the actions of the Belarusian authorities taken before the European March?

- The authorities are implementing the plan they have been carrying out several times for the last two years. They arrest opposition activists one by one from the list, in order to intimidate people, to isolate the most active supporters of the democratic development of Belarus for the time of the action. And all that is happening when the democrats are holding an absolutely peaceful action. I asked the EU representatives to pay special attention to this fact.

I must say that accusations of abuse, hooliganism and other allegations do not delude anyone in Europe. But the situation when people are imprisoned for European symbols is outrageous and I think we can expect prompt official statements I this regard. Moreover, the official representatives of Belarus in Brussels and in other Belarusian embassies claim the recent detentions to be solely initiative of the police, and assure Europe that the Belarusian authorities do not sanction anything.

- How do Europeans treat the European March which is now being arranged?

- As the representatives of the European Commission and European Union Council said, they are bringing up the issue of the March and the need of its peaceful holding in their limited communication with the official Minsk. In the near future they will be ready to give their personal esteem to the perspectives that the European March can lead to.

As we know now, the pointless repressions against the activists of the democratic movement in Belarus have torpedoed the discussion of Belarus and the European Commission on the issue of energy security. It was planned that the European Commission would arrive in Minsk in early October to discuss the question of possible cooperation in energy issues and energy security ensuring. The visit was canceled, however, because of the recent repressions.

- What is Europe’s attitude towards the idea of holding the European March and the proposal of a dialogue?

- A great interest in the development of the situation in Belarus that the democratic forces suggest – improvement of the relations through an interior dialogue - was obvious in Brussels during all meetings. The European March is interesting for Europe, and everyone I asked assured they will scrutinize the arrangement and holding of the European March and demonstrate adequate reaction. At the same time Europe has again expressed its rigid position on the problem of political prisoners and affirmed the demand for their immediate exoneration. By the way, unless the political prisoners are released, the lists of the Belarusian officials prohibited from entering the European Union will not be reconsidered.