Kontra: Political prisoners or relations with the West

Lukashenka must decide what is more important for him: 15-20 political prisoners behind the bars or normal relations with the West.

In coming days ambassadors of the EU countries will leave Belarus. Every embassy will schedule the date of departure of their diplomatic mission’s head individually. Ambassadors leave the country for consultations.

- The decision to recall EU ambassadors from Belarus was reached yesterday in Brussels, -- “Narodnaya Volya” was explained by Hungarian Ambassador Ferenc Kontra. “Some Foreign Ministries have stated about that independently. So it is a closed issue already.

- And how it will happen? Has any concrete date been set?

- I think ambassadors will leave Belarus some of these days. We are waiting for information from the Foreign Ministry of Hungary, for instance.

Ambassadors are leaving temporarily, for consultations.

- But can these consultations draw out?

- Yes, they can – for a month, two, three. Everything is to depend on the Belarusian authorities. If they decide this move does not serve interests of the country, and take appropriate steps, if they realize what is more important: 15-20 political prisoners behind the bars or normal relations with the West. The Belarusian side gets to choose.

- To your mind, is this demonstration of solidarity an adequate move, or maybe a hasty one?

- In the situation when the host country does not provide conditions for normal work of ambassadors, it is an adequate solution. It is our long-established position: attacks against one of the embassies of the EU or any unfriendly act against one of diplomatic missions is an unfriendly act against all.

You know that in recent years there have been all kinds of unfriendly acts, and we have rubbed through that. No wonder we had to state protests on this occasion from time to time. When Hungary was presiding in the EU, I had to visit the Foreign Ministry of Belarus on behalf of all EU ambassadors, and voice protest concerning different moves against EU diplomats. I met Varanetski and other officials of the Foreign Ministry.

- Mister Ambassador, you have been working in Belarus for four years already. Were the yesterday events a sensation for you, or an anticipated progression of events?

- An absolutely anticipated event. We knew long ago that the Belarusian authorities could venture upon that. Iread Karbalevich’s book “Alyaksandr Lukashenka A Political Portrait”. It is written there I black and white that the Belarusian leader likes confrontation, in such a situation he is in his own element.

- To your mind, what will be the evolution of Belarus-EU relationship?

- I really hope that the official Minsk would realize that they do not need this confrontation, that further serious self-isolation would bring them nowhere. I hope that Belarus would make steps which would allow normalizing the relations. First of all, all political prisoners are to be released and rehabilitated. Then we would be able to talk about the EU not adopting such decisions. I hope that the relations will develop in this direction, at least we are interested in that.