Belarus may Refuse Participating in “Eastern Partnership“ Summit

Press Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Andrei Savinykh said that the Belarusian delegation might refuse to participate in the summit of the "Eastern Partnership." According to the Foreign Ministry, Belarus will take such a step if the status and form of participation of Viktor Gaisenok as head of the Belarusian delegation are in any way restricted.

Commenting on MFA spokesman of Poland, who announced the intention of the Polish side to determine the form of participation of the Belarusian delegation at the summit of "Eastern Partnership," Andrei Savinykh noted that any member-state of the partnership has the right to determine the level and composition of participating staff in the activities of "Eastern Partnership,"

"The Belarusian side has duly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Poland Victor Gaisenok a representative at the summit in Warsaw. If the status and form of participation of Viktor Gaisenok as head of the Belarusian delegation is in any way limited, the Belarusian party reserves the right to refuse participating in Summit", said Andrei Savinykh.

In addition, Foreign Ministry spokesman said that any document, adopted at the summit without the consent of the head of the Belarusian delegation, is illegitimate from a legal point of view.

Belarusian delegation should be headed by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Poland, Viktor Gaisenok, at the summit of the "Eastern Partnership" to be held on September 29-30 in Warsaw.

A source at the Office of the Chancellor of Germany said that the German authorities insisted on the absence of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at the summit of "Eastern Partnership."

At the same time, September 22, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Germany had agreed on the participation of representatives of the official Minsk at the summit of the "Eastern Partnership." "I urge leaders in Europe; it was somewhat more difficult with Berlin to create the conditions for a possible "round table" in Belarus in cooperation with the Belarusian opposition," he explained.