Pyotr Svyatalski: Belarus doesn’t fulfil requirements to accede to the Council of Europe

Nobody is to make favorable terms for Minsk to be a member of the Council of Europe (CE).

Ambassador Pyotr Svyatalski, strategic planning director in the CE, declared it on the press-conference with Belarusian journalists in Strasbourg on November 4, BelaPAN says.

“Belarus leaders have not political will yet to fulfil requirements towards accession to the Council of Europe, but nobody is to make favorable terms for Belarus. It will happen on equal terms with other countries”, - eurodiplomat said.

He mentioned that since December 2010, no positive moves had been made towards cooperation between Belarus and the CE. Also he underlined “the importance to be a member” fact for Belarus.

“I guess it is not good for the country to be one non-member of the CE. It creates a negative reputation, - Svyatalski assures. But Belarus also should be more active on the way cooperation with the CE. The Council of Europe has many other problems. It works with non-member countries, but this is not the agenda item.”

The politician mentioned that all members of the CE realized the fact of their unity, some kind of European family, BelaPAN says.

“Definitely, Belarus may choose we-want to-be-alone position. But there is a question: what is the reason for voluntary isolation? I cannot make a sense of it” – Svyatalski announced.

At the same time he added that according to many opinions Azerbaijan, a member of CE, had less political rights. “But they’ve decided to be a member of the CE; they won’t secede, though they are sharply criticized. And I can’t understand the reason Belarusian authorities decide not to acede the CE”, the ambassador said.

He highlighted that there was no open talks on “pro and con” factors on the accession to the CE. The organization representative guesses that the government keeps options open because of a high rate of references to European Court of Human Rights.

Nevertheless, he mentioned that on the moment of accession to the CE most countries got a high rate of references to European Court of Human Rights. But later their number decreased.

“I’m sure that most Belarusians were for the accession to the CE. Among all those foreign institutes it is, from the point of view of ordinary person, the most reliable one, as by means of its conventions the CE may enforce human rights in member countries” – Svyatalski said.

He pointed out two main problems in relations between Belarus and the CE: the death penalty and the existence of political prisoners.