EU Ministers "lacked time" to discuss "Makei's issue"
The EU Minister did not remove Makei from the EU black list on February 18. But they discussed the state of the Eastern Partnership.
The Eastern Partnership summit will be held in Vilnius in 9 months. The EU expects to get positive signals from Ukraine, to simplify the Schengen visa regime for Armenia and to complete the visa regime negotiations with Azerbaijan.
“Representatives of these countries will attend the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius to discuss the possibility of more profound cooperation with the EU," High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European Union Catherine Ashton said.
The eastern policy of the European Union is very successful, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski told journalists.
Radosław Sikorski: “We discuss associations, not war, with our eastern partners. Europe's policy in the East is successful now. We just need to secure the success in bilateral agreements."
Armed conflicts is Syria and Mali were the main topic on the agenda on February 18. However, Belarus was also mentioned in the meeting conclusion. The Council of the EU is ready to conduct negations "on the visa regime simplification and readmission" with our country.
They "lacked time" for other issues at the meeting. For instance, the EU Ministers did not discuss the idea of removing Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Uladzimir Makei from the EU black list.
“The issue is connected with the EU-Belarus relations. It is always on the agenda. But there was not enough time for such decisions on February 18. The Council of the EU discussed the Eastern Partnership, not Belarus. However, the issue is still being considered," Maya Kocijancic, Catherine Ashton's spokesperson told Euroradio.
The official report contains much more information about Ukraine. Our southern neighbour has been reminded about the terms that had to be fulfilled in order to simplify the visa regime with the EU: sticking to the international election standards, judicial system improvement and economic reforms. The demands are familiar to Belarus.
