BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
19/04/2009
Belarus President is Attending to the "Eastern Partnership" Summit
The Czech EU Presidency invited Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to the "Eastern Partnership" Summit which will be held on May 7th, in Prague despite his low records on human rights.
The EU has stepped up to improve relations with the ex-Soviet state following the release of political prisoners last year. Last week, the Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg visited Minsk, the capital of Belarus and held talks with Lukashenko. The EU official's visit included a meeting with opposition representatives who asserted that "the situation in Belarus had recently been changing for the better, albeit the changes are not system-related."
Belarus is one of the targeted ex Soviet states that the EU is planning to improve relations within the context of "Eastern Partnership". Energy and trade issues constitute the main theme of closer links. The other countries invited to the summit are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
By Ceren Mutus (JTW)
Source:
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