The European Council, an EU institution that sets out the bloc’s priorities and includes the heads of state and government of member countries, is scheduled to meet remotely at noon to discuss the situation in Poland’s eastern neighbour, amid rising pressure on Lukashenko to step down following his contested re-election.
Thousands attend a rally in support of the Belarusian opposition to demonstrate against police brutality and the presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. Photo: EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH
The Polish Government Information Centre (CIR) said ahead of Wednesday's conference that EU leaders were meeting to “discuss a strategy of support for the development of Belarusian civil society” after days of protests and a brutal crackdown on government opponents in that country.
EU heads of state and government were also expected to “discuss possible action to strengthen the protection of human rights, including by applying sanctions to members of the Belarusian government," the centre said in a statement, as cited by Poland's PAP news agency.
The Polish prime minister earlier this month called for a special summit of EU leaders to focus on Belarus amid post-election tensions in that country.
On Monday, he voiced support for the people of Belarus in a phone call with the country’s opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko’s main opponent in the presidential race.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Photo: PAP/Anna Ivanova
'A stable, open and predictable Belarus'
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz told public broadcaster Polish Radio on Wednesday morning that the Polish government wanted the European Union to call for dialogue between the Belarusian authorities and protesting citizens.
“Being a neighbouring country, we are particularly interested in seeing a stable, open and predictable Belarus,” Przydacz said.
“The last thing we would like to see happen is a self-isolation scenario for Belarus, because then it would have only one partner—Russia," he added.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz. Photo: gov.pl
'People have the right to decide'
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, said earlier this week that “the people of Belarus have the right to decide on their future and freely elect their leader.”
He added: “Violence against protesters is unacceptable and cannot be allowed."
European Council President Charles Michel. Photo: EPA/STEPHANIE LECOCQ
The EU video summit comes as the bloc is preparing to impose new sanctions on Belarus in response to a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in that country.
According to the Reuters news agency, the 27 EU leaders are likely to discuss what other support they can extend to Belarus, with initial ideas including starting a fund for victims of repression and funding projects to support media pluralism there.
Other support could include providing advice on police reform, enhancing student exchanges with the EU and granting easier access to the bloc's labour market for Belarusian workers, Reuters has reported.
Poland, the Czech Republic, the three Baltic states and Denmark have also called for EU mediation between the Belarusian government and the opposition, according to Reuters.
Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Minsk and other cities in Belarus this month to contest the widely-disputed re-election victory of the country’s strongman president.
The official results of the August 9 election handed Lukashenko, in power for more than a quarter of a century, an 80 percent share of the vote, while Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's main electoral opponent, took around 10 percent, the Reuters news agency reported.
Alexander Lukashenko addresses supporters during a rally in Minsk, Belarus, on Sunday, August 16, 2020. Photo: EPA/YAUHEN YERCHAK
'Solidarity with Belarus'
The Polish prime minister said at the end of last week that his country would seek to support its neighbour Belarus by opening its borders and labour market while providing financial support to civil society after a violent crackdown on post-election protests.
Poland’s “Solidarity with Belarus” plan, estimated to initially cost around PLN 50 million (EUR 11 million, USD 13 million), would also include scholarships for academics and funding for the independent media, Morawiecki told the Polish parliament on Friday, August 14.
Presidential vote 'neither free nor fair'
The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement last week that the contested Belarus presidential vote on Sunday, August 9, was "neither free nor fair."
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Photo: PAP/EPA/FRANCOIS LENOIR
EU foreign ministers at the end of last week agreed that the bloc should start working on sanctions against those held responsible for violence in Belarus and those accused of rigging the country’s presidential election, Poland’s PAP news agency has reported.
'Brutal violence and mass repression'
Polish lawmakers on Friday condemned the use of "brutal violence and mass repression" by authorities in neighbouring Belarus against protesters refusing to accept the results of the contested presidential election.
Polish MPs voice solidarity with the people of Belarus on Friday, August 14, 2020. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller tweeted on Sunday that Morawiecki was keeping in close touch with other European leaders as they monitored the situation in Belarus amid growing post-election tensions in that country.
Polish Deputy Defence Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz said on Monday that Poland was closely monitoring the situation on its border with Belarus amid plans for Belarusian military drills this week in the Grodno region bordering Poland and Lithuania.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters