Andrei Yeliseyeu: Official Minsk expects guarantees from EU
The BISS analyst has commented on Andrei Hiro’s statement connected with the EaP summit in Vilnius.
The official Minsk expects the state leader to be invited. Then Belarus will decide who will represent the country at the meeting in November.
A similar invitation was sent to Lukashenka in 2009, Yeliseyeu noted. However, the sanctions imposed on him had been lifted a bit earlier. This time it will be necessary to release political prisoners first, the expert said.
Andrei Yeliseyeu: "Belarus may be expecting the sanctions to be lifted before this moment. The official Minsk may be trying to get some compensation for the release of political prisoners. They want some guarantees from the European Union. If we release political prisoners, you should send us an invitation, etc.”
On the other hand, Belarus may blackmail the European Union, the analyst said. If Lukashenka is not invited, Minsk may threaten to secede from the Eastern Partnership programme.
Photo: svaboda.org
