Linas Linkevičius: Nobody plans to conduct reforms for Belarus

The isolation of Belarus from the EU has not been justified, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said at a press conference on January 5.

The EU has a single strategy as regards Belarus and Lithuania can influence the strategy, the diplomat claimed. “We used to observe and wait. We also used to build walls which resulted in isolation but the isolation has hardly been justified. This isolation limits cooperation and removes the possibilities of establishing contacts. We have proved that our contacts and interaction have brought some results. Giving motivation for changes and relaxing the pressure is part of this strategy,” ru.delfi.lt quotes Linkevičius.

Nobody is planning to do anything including reforms and choosing the way of development for Belarus, the Lithuanian diplomat noted. However, there is a hope that the Belarusian state will be changing as a result of contacts with the Western countries.

Armenia (that joined the Customs Union not long ago) wants to sign a special agreement with the EU, Linkevičius added. Belarus also intends to do it, he said. This variant is possible, he believes: “Anything that lets our neighbours establish relations with the EU and find mutually interesting things without forgetting about the democratic values and without getting back to violence would be good. We have seen violence and we do not want it to repeat. This is a term and the rest is part of the strategy.”

Photo: delfi.lt