Rosemary Thomas: EU policy will not change until release of political prisoners

The British Ambassador spoke against the use of prisoners as a matter of bargaining between the Belarusian authorities and the EU.

The European Union’s policy regarding Minsk cannot change as long as there are political prisoners in Belarus, outgoing British Ambassador Rosemary Thomas said in an interview with BelaPAN.

The EU does not want to go the same process all over again, seeing first elections, then politically motivated trials and then attempts by the Belarusian authorities to use the political prisoners to mend ties with the bloc, said the ambassador.

The EU is genuinely interested to break this cycle, she stressed.

But a civilized dialogue is impossible until the situation changes, she warned.

Commenting on the social and political situation in the country, Ms. Thomas described it as regressive. It is high time for the authorities to consider steps toward liberalization, which would be in the interests of Belarus in the long run, she said, noting that the country needed a society where people were not afraid of expressing their views and being creative. It is necessary to create a particular atmosphere for this, she said.

When the Belarusian authorities say that Belarus is a European country, they are right to the extent that it is such as far as its geographical location, culture and history are concerned, but the current relations between them and the public differ greatly from what most European countries have, said the ambassador.

The Belarusian authorities also should take consistent and well-considered steps toward economic liberalization to make the country prosperous, she added.