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Andrei Sannikov: Lukashenka became a lame duck

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Andrei Sannikov: Lukashenka became a lame duck

Andrei Sannikov, leader of the civil campaign “European Belarus”, thinks a cancelation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s visit to the EU summit in Prague means the Belarusian dictator remains persona non grata in Europe.

“I think it is a result of the activities of the democratic forces of Belarus, supported by principal European politicians and the European civil society. So, Lukashenka remains persona non grata in Europe. Future relations with Belarus are not connected with him. Using the terminology of politics, he may be called a lame duck, a person who is approaching the end of his tenure,” the politician thinks.

According to Andrei Sannikov, the Belarusian democratic forces have new tasks now.

“We have achieved this, and now our task is to gain release of political prisoners and holding free elections in the country,” the leader of the “European Belarus” said.

It should be reminded, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus officially announced formation of an official Belarusian delegation for the Eastern Partnership summit, which takes place in Prague on May 7. The delegation consists first deputy prime minister Uladzimir Syamashka and foreign minister Syarhei Martynau.

Czech president Vaclav Klaus spoke against the visit of Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka to the EU summit. He said he wouldn’t neither shake hands with him nor accept him in his residential palace.

The Chairperson of the Standing Czech Senate Commission on Assistance to Worldwide Democracy Vlastimil Sehnal has come out against the visit of the Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka to Prague categorically. “We simply shouldn’t allow him to leave the plane,” the politician noted.

In her turn, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy noted that the Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg had invited to the summit not A. Lukashenka personally, but Belarus.

The Dutch foreign minister harshly criticised an idea to invite the Belarusian dictator to Prague.

“We will criticise the Belarusian ruler in Prague, and nobody will forbid us to do this. If countries members of the Eastern Partnership program want full partner relations with the EU, they should respect our values. Our values are democracy and respect for human rights,” the Dutch foreign minister Maxime Verhagen said.

Belarusian opposition politicians and human rights activists have repeatedly said a visit of Alyaksandr Lukashenka is impossible while there are political prisoners in the country, repressions against the opposition go on, elections results are rigged, and cases of kidnapping and killings of Belarusians opposition leaders and a journalist are not investigated.

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