Andrei Sannikov: “I know there are politicians in Europe who maintain their principled stand”

The civil society of Belarus should define its position in response to Lukashenka’s invitation to Prague.

It has been stated by the leader of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Andrei Sannikov in an interview to the Charter’97 press-centre, commenting on the decision of foreign ministers of the European Union countries to invite Alyaksandr Lukashenka to the Eastern Partnership summit.

“European politicians and officials are dance around trying to invent how to invent Lukashenka to Prague and at the same time not to invent him. All this is happening as the initial criterions of the European Union for maintaining contact with Lukashenka’s regime were changed last year. Europeans stated that conditions of holding elections would be the main criterion for continuation of the dialogue with the Belarusian authorities. Everybody knows how the election had been carried out; moreover, it received an appropriate estimation of the international observers’ mission. However, someone wants to close one’s eyes to moral values and continue flirting with the last dictator of Europe,” the leader of the “European Belarus” stated.

As we have informed, according to Radio Svaboda, in line with a secret understanding a decision had been adopted to pass an invitation to Lukashenka, but he won’t arrive to Prague on May 7 personally, but he would send his Foreign Minister or some other official.

“I think that fighting for wording and the discussion on the issue of Lukashenka’s presence in Prague in general demonstrate that European politicians have finally started to realize how wrong it is to hope for Lukashenka’s redemption. I know that there are politicians in Europe who maintain their principled stand, and understand what the presence of the dictator in the capital of the democratic velvet revolution would mean. I think Brussels and other European capitals would return to this subject many times, and I hope they would discuss not simply whether to invite or not to invite him, but how to help the pro-democracy forces of Belarus. Today the civil society of Belarus, the civil society of Europe and the people of the Czech Republic should define its position in response to Lukashenka’s invitation to Prague,” Andrei Sannikov stated.