Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 February 2005
145 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the nature of the relationship between Ireland and Belarus; if he has had recent contact with the authorities in Belarus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2636/05]
View answerDiplomatic relations between Ireland and Belarus were established on a non-residential basis in 1992, following the break up of the former Soviet Union. Ireland's current ambassador in Moscow, Mr Justin Harman, presented his credentials to President Lukashenko in January 2004. The Belarus Ambassador in London, Dr. Alyaksei Mazhukhou, presented his credentials to President McAleese on 16 December 2004. I have not had contact with the Belarusian authorities for reasons which I shall outline. However, the two ambassadors have been very active.
Belarus is a European country of considerable potential which, tragically, has become isolated from the European mainstream. The policies pursued by the Government of Belarus, notably the lack of progress towards democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights, have prevented Belarus from taking up its rightful place among European democratic countries. The unhappy result today is that Belarus alone among the countries on the eastern border of the EU, or soon to border the Union, is not covered by the European neighbourhood policy. For several years already, since 1997, the EU has restricted bilateral ministerial level contacts with Belarus.
With the exception of humanitarian or regional projects, or those which directly support the democratisation process, Community technical assistance programmes to Belarus have also been halted. Naturally, these measures have limited the development of intergovernmental relations between Ireland and Belarus.
The continuing lack of any democratic reform in Belarus and the authorities's self-isolating economic and foreign policies are a matter of real concern to Ireland, to the new EU member states which are immediate neighbours of Belarus — Poland, Lithuania and Latvia — and to the EU as a whole. There is a widely shared wish to foster a more positive trend in Belarus. Before the parliamentary elections and referendum of 17 October last in Belarus, the European Union made clear that an unfair election would not be without consequences for EU policy towards Belarus.
The latest statement of EU policy towards Belarus followed the fraudulent election and referendum of 17 October 2004 and is in the form of Council conclusions adopted on 22 November 2004. These conclusions stipulate that bilateral ministerial contacts of the EU and its member states with President Lukashenko and his government will be established solely through the Presidency, the Secretary General-High Representative, the Commission and the Troika, and that other contacts with the president and members of his Government will be limited to a minimum. At the same time, the Council conclusions envisage intensified assistance efforts by the European Commission to meet the challenges arising from the self-isolation of Belarus. The Commission is to co-ordinate assistance programmes to Belarus, specifically programmes which support the needs of the population by humanitarian, regional and cross-border co-operation and projects directly and indirectly supporting democratisation and democratic forces in Belarus.
Limited intergovernmental relations have not prevented the development of significant links between the people of Belarus and the Irish people. The authorities of Belarus at the highest level have expressed appreciation of the work of groups such as the Chernobyl Children's Project in the area of humanitarian assistance to Belarus.
As the House is aware, I raised at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 22 November last my deep concern that new administrative restrictions might have the effect of preventing such groups from pursuing their humanitarian work. Strong representations were made through bilateral diplomatic channels in the following weeks and the former president of the Council as well as Secretary General-High Representative Solana raised the matter again in separate letters to Foreign Minister Martynov before the end of last year. I shall continue to watch relevant developments closely.
Arising from the Council conclusions I described, a series of EU meetings and workshops on assistance programmes for Belarus is now under way, with input from the Chernobyl Children's Project as well as NGOs from some other member states which also have extensive experience of working in Belarus. The objective is to develop practical ideas on how the EU and member states can contribute most effectively to meeting the humanitarian needs of the population of Belarus and supporting civil society. Ireland's experience of NGO involvement in Belarus is a valuable resource in this context. The work in hand is the core element of an ongoing political effort to fashion an adequate EU policy towards Belarus as a neighbouring country. Whether the authorities of Belarus will be willing to change course and engage fully in developing fruitful relations with the EU is ultimately a matter for them to determine.
