Representative of Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affaires conducts negotiations with PACE

A PACE representative on the issue of human rights in Belarus, Italian deputy Andrea Rigoni, is planning to visit Minsk in October. The deputy announced it after a meeting with a special agent of the Minister of Foreign Affaires of Belarus Syarhey Haidukevich in Rome on June 21. The press service of the European Council informed that A.Rigoni discussed the problem of political prisoners in Belarus. “Syarhey Haidukevich claimed that there were no political prisoners in Belarus but noted that there were criminals calling themselves political prisoners, - said a representative of the press service. – The deputy Rigoni asked for permission to meet those people during his visit to Belarus”. According to the press-service, S.Haidukevich added that the Belarusian government was ready for cooperation with the European Union.  At the same time, A.Rigoni stressed that “nobody was trying to make Belarus a democratic country in one day”, but the country “could better start with reforming the Criminal Code and the legislation”. A meeting of S.Haidukevich and the head of PACE René van der Linden is planned to take place in Strasbourg today.