Nyaklyayeu: No need to hurry to exclude Belarus from EaP

Representative of the German Marshall Fund Pavel Demesh expressed his opinion at the conference Eastern Partnership: Can Human Rights Values and Norms Compete with Geopolitics? It was organized by the Lithuanian office of Freedom House in Vilnius.

“We must be brave and tell them that if they do not do this or that, their membership in the programme will be ceased,” Pavel Demesh said in Vilnius on November 19.

Leader of the campaign Tell the Truth Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu disagrees with this opinion. He told Euroradio:

“It is not difficult to cease membership. But there is nothing to offer in return now. The fate of the project will be decided at the summit in Vilnius. If they sign the Association Agreement with Ukraine, the project will live. Adherents will start mentioning it as an example of a result. If the agreement is not signed, the project may be ceased gradually.”

The Eastern Partnership summit will be held in Vilnius on November 28-29. Ukraine is expected to sign the Association Agreement with the EU and Moldova and Georgia may ratify similar agreements. However, Ukraine may not reach its goal because ex-PM Yuliya Timoshenko is still in prison.

 It is not clear who will represent Belarus at the summit. “It will be decided at top level,” Belarusian Minister for Foreign Affairs Uladzimir Makei said.

Photo: Fotolia