Schwarzenberg to meet Paznyak, Survila ahead of Prague summit

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg is to meet Belarusian opposition leaders Alexander Milinkevich, Alexander Kozulin, Stanislau Shushkevich as well as political refugee Zyanon Paznyak and Ivonka Survila, who chairs the Council of the Belarusian People's Republic. The meeting will take place on the eve of EU's Eastern Partnership summit in Prague, the European Radio for Belarus has learned from Ratka Bzonkova from the Czech-based People in Need Foundation, one of the organizers of the meeting:

“Ahead of the EU summit, there will be something like a forum of NGOs, so several Czech organizations have invited representatives of the Belarusian opposition to Prague. The leaders of pro-democracy opposition will meet Karel Schwarzenberg. The meeting is scheduled for May 5 or 6 in Prague. The Belarusian side will be represented by Kozulin, Shushkevich, Milinkevich. Besides, there will be Ivonka Survila from Canada and Zyanon Paznyak. I think it will be interesting to them to hear from Karel Schwarzenberg the position of the Czech Republic regarding the Eastern Partnership, and why they have invited Lukashenka or Belarus as a country, and what EU's expectations about the Eastern Partnership and the topics like that”.

The European Radio for Belarus has called Zyanon Paznyak. In his view, Belarus should participate in the Eastern Partnership. However, he is yet to decide whether he is going to Prague.

Zyanon Paznyak:
“I simply need to know more details about the format and the topics. Firstly, it is far away, as I will have to travel from New York. Secondly, I need to weigh everything, because I don't have enough information yet”.


Symon Kaliza, Zmitser Panyamonau, Vitalina Hrakhouskaya
, European Radio for Belarus


Photo — b0rmann.livejournal.com