Finnish OSCE Chairman-in-Office called electoral farce in Belarus “positive changes”

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb says about possible normalisation of the relations and expanding a dialog between Europe and Belarus. “It’s time to turn the page in the relations between Belarus and Europe,“ Stubb said during a meeting with Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Minsk, Interfax reports.

“We feel that balance has moved to the East after a crisis in Georgia,” the OSCE Chairman-in-Office said. According to him, “the European Union has a right feeling that Belarus is moving in the right direction”. “It is the main approach, I came to Belarus with,” A. Stubb said. According to him “elections are a delicate issue. No one can deny that there were positive changes in 2008 (at the elections – IF) in comparison with 2000 and 2004.”

In this regard, A. Lukashenka said: “We are ready to vote for you being a life-chairman of the OSCE for your words.” “You are the first Western politician, who openly and straight tells about Belarus in public,” A. Lukashenka noted.

According to Lukashenka, “If Europe makes two steps, Belarus will make five ones”. “All these talks about the last dictator were thought up in New World, and then moved to Europe. You see who are dictators today, and you can’t see Lukashenka among them ,” the Belarusian ruler said.

According to A. Lukashenka, “we know that if we behave like a bull in china’s shop, we will be treated in appropriate way”. A. Lukashenka said: “The problem of Europe is that it set tasks concerning Belarus, but formulated them on a base of one view, a view of the opposition.”

Besides, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office has also met with the Foreign Minster of Belarus Syarhei Martynau today.

“We see Belarus’ efforts to be a very active OSCE member,” Stubb noted. He has also focused attention on the attempts of Belarus to coordinate its policy not only with the OSCE, but the EU too.

“I have never believed in isolation. I believed in cooperation,” he stated. The OSCE Chairman-in-Office has also noted that his powers include account to the EU ministers on the situation in the country.

Stubb has informed that he plans to meet with representatives of the Belarusian opposition, and proceeding from this meeting he will make final conclusions. “This all will influence the final report of the OSCE/ODIHR on elections in Belarus,” A. Stubb said, adding that at the moment the ODIHR and the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE are working at the final report.

Evaluating the latest “election” in Belarus, he has underlined that the OSCE noted positive changes as compared with the previous “election”. At the same time, according to Stubb’s evaluation, the election was not free at full measure according to the OSCE demands.

On his part, the Foreign Minister of Belarus Syarhei Martynau noted that he and the OSCE Chairman-in-Office discussed the upcoming ministerial meeting of the OSCE in Helsinki on December 4-5. As said by him, the Belarusian side expects considerable improvement of relations with the EU.

After the meeting with Martynau the OSCE Chairman-in-Office said to journalists that the development of the situation in Belarus over the last year gives hope for development of constructive relations of Europe with Belarus. The Minister has underlined that he sees first steps in the necessary direction.

“If the development of the situation would be continued as in the last year, as it was with the release of the political prisoners, it could be said that we are moving in the right direction,” A. Stubb said.

As said by the OSCE chairman, his meeting with Lukashenka was “very constructive”. “We have focused on three questions: democratic elections, economic questions and energy industry,” A. Stubb said.

“As for the democratic development and the election, the election was improved but not perfect,” the OSCE chairman said. He believes that “today it is necessary to turn the page in relations between Belarus and Europe”.

Stubb believes that the time has come to look at Belarus’ place in the world anew.

“The time has come to look at the role of Belarus in international and European community from the new point of view,” Stubb said in Minsk, answering questions of journalists in the Foreign Ministry of Belarus.

The decision to lift or to continue political sanctions against Belarus is to be considered next Monday at the meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers, the Finnish Foreign Minister said.

“Now the EU is preparing conclusions concerning Belarus. Many issues are remaining open, in particular facilitation of visa issuing and bans on leaving abroad. Let’s wait till Monday,” A. Stubb said.

“My powers as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office allow discussing the cooperation of Belarus in the world. The main thing, we agree that a new page between the EU and Belarus should be opened,” he undenied.

On Monday October 13 in Luxembourg a meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers council is to take place. Belarusian Foreign Minister Syarhei Martynau is expected to take part in the meeting.

It should be reminded that the “parliamentary elections” in Belarus were held on September 28. 264 candidates run for 110 seats in the “parliament”. About 100 representatives of the opposition participated in the “elections”, but none of them got to the “parliament”.

The OSCE/ODIHR election observing mission didn’t recognise the “parliamentary elections” in Belarus free and democratic. OSCE observers noted “bad or very bad” process of vote count in 50 per cent of the cases. 40 per cent of the observers weren’t able to monitor the vote counting in full. OSCE observers noticed cases of falsification. The elections ultimately fell short of OSCE standards.