BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
18/04/2009
Russia welcomes EU's invitation to Belarus to attend Eastern Partnership summit
MOSCOW, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Russia welcomes the European Union's invitation to Belarus to attend the Eastern Partnership summit, the Interfax news agency reported citing a Russian presidential aide on Friday.
"We are delighted that a realistic approach toward Belarus has prevailed in Brussels," said Sergei Prikhodko, commenting on earlier reports that the Czech Republic, currently holding the rotating EU presidency, has invited Belarus to attend a summit between the European Union (EU) and its eastern neighbors scheduled for May 7 in Prague.
"We have been trying to persuade our partners in the EU for years that the policy of sanctions or isolation toward our friend Belarus has no prospects," he said.
The summit will bring in all members of the EU's Eastern Partnership: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
The EU maintains a travel ban against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and other senior officials. But EU foreign ministers agreed in March to suspend the application of the ban for another nine months given positive developments in Belarus with regard to democracy.
Source:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/18/content_11207340.htm
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