Carl Bildt: Discussion about number of political prisoners is irrelevant

Swedish ex-Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt is paying a one-day visit to Minsk. He is a member of the delegation of experts of the European Council on Foreign Relations. The discussion about the number of political prisoners in Belarus is irrelevant and inadmissible, Bildt told BelaPAN and tut.by. There should be no political prisoners at all, he said.

"Any number of political prisoners except for zero is inadmissible. It does not matter how many political prisoners there are now. It is essential to have no political prisoners at all,” the politician announced.

The EU is not ready to ignore the problems with democracy and human rights in Belarus to get a chance to lessen Russia’s influence on the state, Bildt said. However, he noted the fact that Belarus had not succumbed to Russia’s pressure during Russia-Georgia conflict. The same pressure is being exercised in connection with the Ukrainian events now.

Belarus is an outsider in the Eastern Partnership programme, the diplomat noted. More attention will be paid to the EU relations with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine at the summit in Riga, Bildt thinks.

Experts will make a report containing recommendations as regards the EU-Belarus relations after the visit, Bildt added.

Photo: AFP