Lukashenka may blackmail Ukraine with border demarcation

A cooling in relations with Belarus may postpone introduction of a visa-free regime between Ukraine and Europe.

“Ukrainska Pravda” learned this from a source close to the MFA.

According to the source, Belarus will hardly speed up the border demarcation with Ukraine. Border demarcation is an important EU condition on visa-free travel.

“This issue has been postponed again. Belarus still does not want to give us instruments of ratification. Now, after the incident, obtaining them will be a problem,” the source said.

The MFA does not see other serious consequences of the quarrel.

The source did not rule out a cooling in relations may impact another big project, transporting oil via Odessa-Brody pipeline.

He also said that preparation to the Chernobyl anniversary had started in November, before the Belarusian presidential elections.

At that time invitations to mark the Chernobyl accident were sent. President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, US President Barack Obama, and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel received identical invitations.

The relations between Europe and Belarus deteriorated after the elections and the dispersal of a demonstration in Minsk.

The media reported with a reference to a source in the European Commission that Barroso would have refused to attend the event if Alyaksandr Lukashenka had been there. That’s why the source claimed, it was decided to hold two events.

“The objective of the conference was to collect money to build a new shelter. Belarus does not give money… But April 26 is our common tragedy. Lukashenka and Medvedev were invited to pay tribute as Slavs usually do,” the source said.