Elisabeth Schroedter: “We Shouldn’t Contact with Dictator’s Government and Pocket Parliament” :: Charter'97 :: News

A delegation of the parliament of the federal state Brandenburg was in Belarus on a working visit on March 28-31. The delegation included the president of the federal state Brandenburg Guenter Fritsch, a chairman of SPD faction (the Social Democratic Party of Germany) in Brandenburg landtag Guenter Baaske, and a chairman of the left faction (the Left Party. PDS) Kerstin Kaiser.

According to the press-service of the Brandenburg landtag, the aim of the delegation’s visit was discussing with their Belarusian foils democratic norms and standards essential for any modern Europeans country. The delegation planned to dwell upon problems of independence of judicial system, necessity of democratic elections, freedom of mass media and observation of human rights.

However, delegates of the European Parliament express incomprehension over this working visit, told Elisabeth Schroedter, a member of the European parliament, a member of the group engaged in problems of Belarus told to Deutsche Welle.

“The meeting of Brandenburg landtag with representatives of the so-called Belarusian “national assembly” is a slap in the face of the Belarusian democratic forces. According to international observers, these people have taken power by cheating and manipulations during elections,” told Elisabeth Schroedter.

As said by Elisabeth Schroedter, such a visit of a European delegation shouldn’t have taken place.

“This delegation has violated agreement of all EU countries, the European parliament and the Council of Europe not to maintain any contacts with Belarusian dictator’s government and a pocket parliament,” told Elisabeth Schroedter.

She underlined that in a great number of the EU resolutions notes absence of representatives in the parliament democratically elected by the people.

“I am indignant that the parliament of the federal land of Brandenburg does not support the initiative of the EU and the democratic forces of Belarus, and by their visit simply encourages legitimization of illegally elected parliament of the country, which had crushed all democratic standards,” Mrs. Schroedter said.

To her mind, such a step does not contribute to Belarus’ return to the European democratic standards.