Radosław Sikorski:"It's not about the outcome of election; it's about how i
Belarus may receive 3 billion euros from EU if the presidential election in December is fair.
According
to Sikorski, the visit targeted both the authorities -- in order to
show them there are options -- and the Belarusian society. He said: "Leaders
pay for their actions and decisions sooner or later. We came here so
that everyone understands there is something to hope for: free elections
mean cooperation with the EU".
"It
is important that our neighbour should live in accordance with
democratic standards; free and fair elections will be in the center of
our attention", added Guido Westerwelle.
"Previous
elections were not fair. For me, fair elections mean the results are not
known beforehand. We are experienced politicians, and we are familiar
with the Belarusian political system", said Sikorski. According to the Polish foreign minister, this visit is a sign of solidarity with the Belarusian people.
"We
take Lukashenka at his word that this election will differ from the
previous ones. If the upcoming election is held in a democratic way, we
oblige ourself to help Belarus get all kinds of advantages from a much
closer cooperation with the European Union, on behalf of our countries,
as well as the European colleagues and European institutions", added Radosław Sikorski.
Such
cooperation, according to the Polish minister, can bring Belarus 3
billion euros in the nearest future. He gave an example of Moldova - a
considerably smaller state which is to receive about 2 billion euros
from different sources within two years. The sources are the
International Monetary Fund, the European Investment Bank, ENPI and
others. "Naturally, Belarus can count on a bigger support being a bigger state", concluded Radosław Sikorski.
Photo: Yulia Darashkevich/Nasha Niva
