DATE:
17/04/2009
The European Union has invited Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to a summit with former Soviet states in the Czech capital Prague on 7 May. Mr Lukashenko's regime is considered authoritarian and has for years been shunned by the EU. The news of the European invitation, which indicates a thaw in relations, was released by the Czech Republic which holds the EU's rotating presidency.
Last year, the Belarusian administration released a number of political prisoners and did not back Russia in recognising the independence of Georgia's separatist regions. The Prague summit, dubbed Eastern Partnership, will cover democratisation in former Soviet countries.
Source:
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/6263227/EU-invites-Belarus-for-summit
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