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Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Responded To Letter Of Belarusian Politicians

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Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Responded To Letter Of Belarusian Politicians
Bert Koenders

Andrei Sannikov, Mikalai Statkevich and Ales Bialiatski received an answer to their letter from Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders.

In their address sent to the leaders of the EU countries before the “presidential elections” the Belarusian politicians offered to keep in force the sanctions against the official Minsk.

As charter97.org has learnt, Bert Koenders thanked Andrei Sannikov, Mikalai Statkevich and Ales Bialiatski for their participation in defending democracy and civil liberties in Belarus, even in the face of repression.

“As you are aware, the Council of the European Union has decided to extend the restrictive measures by four months and, while at the same time suspending their application for certain persons during the same period, – he writes. – Although I realise that you recommend a different path, the Council took the view that the release of political prisoners merited a positive response. The suspension takes effect on October 31, 2015 and will last till the end of February 2016.

During this four-month period, the EU will closely observe the actions of the Belarusian government and will reassess the situation towards the end of the period. If the human rights situation worsens again, the suspension will be terminated.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands notes that his country’s government is aware of the assessments of human rights situation by international human rights institutions, including the UN bodies, the OSCE and Council of Europe, as well as the recommendations made by these institutions.

“You advised the sanctions should not be lifted or suspended until all the conditions laid down in 2011 have been met, – Bert Koenders says. – You rightly point to the lack of rehabilitation for the political prisoners who have been released. The Dutch Government shares your concerns on this matter. It shows that Belarus still has a long way to go in improving its human rights record. The Netherlands aims to encourage it to pursue this path by means of a balanced approach.

Although these are very early days, I sincerely hope that the EU's decision to extend and temporarily suspend the restrictive measures will contribute to the gradual improvement of the human rights situation in Belarus”.

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