Situation in Belarus may be discussed at EU Gymnich meeting :: Charter'97 :: News

The situation in Belarus may be an issue under discussion at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers (so-called Gymnich) to be held on September 1 and 2, a source in Brussels told BelaPAN.

The Gymnich meeting, which is held once in six months, is to be attended by the foreign ministers of European Union member states, the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Commissioner for External Relations.

The gathering will not make any official decisions and does not have an official agenda but have a list of issues to be discussed. In particular, Poland plans to raise the issue of repeat elections for the leadership of the Union of Belarusian Poles that were held in Volkovysk, Grodno region, on August 27.

The Latvian delegation reportedly plans to discuss with European colleagues the situation in Belarus. In addition, the Belarus issue may be raised during a discussion about the European Union`s enlargement, where the foreign ministers plan to discuss relations with Balcan countries, Turkey and Ukraine. The gathering is also expected to discuss the situation in Iran and Middle Asia.