The EU's new strategy regarding Belarus

The EU has adopted a new strategy regarding Belarus: it will no longer conduct negotiations with the country's dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Instead, the European Commission has sent a "message to the people of Belarus" listing all the advantages the country is missing out on under the current regime. According to the paper, a democratic Belarus would be subject to less stringent visa regulations and have more possibilities for travel, cultural exchange and foreign investment. Waclaw Radziwinowicz expresses his doubts about the EU's new tactics. "Lukashenko has his citizens firmly under control. As long as he has Moscow's backing, he can't be toppled from government. The EU's strategy would be important for the people of Belarus, but how can you let them know what the EU is prepared to do for them if their country makes the move towards democracy? Belarus's television and radio broadcasters and its major newspapers all belong to the state. They won't give the EU's strategy paper any coverage unless Lukashenko orders them to do so."

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