EU is two-faced about Belarus - roundtable in OEF

The European Union is hypocritical about Belarus, participants in a roundtable meeting held today at the Open Estonia Foundation found. Political scientist Jan Czurylowicz, a research fellow at the University of Oxford, underlined that sanctions against Belarus are actually not observed, the foundation reports.

The EU last year barred from entry President Alexander Lukashenko and around 30 other high-ranking state officials, but Belarusian ministers have this year repeatedly been present at conferences in EU countries, Czurylowicz said. Economic interests of some member countries take precedence over gentlemanly behavior, he observed.

Former deputy foreign minister of Belarus Andrei Sannikov urged Estonians to keep the subject of Belarus constantly in the media spotlight to fight the dictatorship.
Sannikov, a career diplomat, resigned from the post of deputy foreign minister in 1996 in protest against Lukashenko's dictatorial regime. Czurylowicz has served as representative of Belarusian presidential candidate and opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich at the EU.

Additional information:

Kelly Grossthal
Open Estonia Foundation
kelly@oef.org.ee  
www.oef.org.ee  
Phone 6 313 791

Maari Ross
Open Estonia Foundation
maari@oef.org.ee  
www.oef.org.ee  
Phone 631 3791