Foreign minister Maxime Verhagen is concerned about the lack of progress on democracy and human rights issues in Belarus. ‘What we’ve seen so far this year is not enough, and the question remains if there have been any real, lasting improvements,’ said Mr Verhagen in The Hague, at a meeting with Belarusian opposition leader Aleksander Milinkevich.

Mr Verhagen is pleased that Milinkevich’s Movement for Freedom is now officially permitted in his country. He remains concerned, however, that the regime continues to deny official recognition to the Christian Democratic Party, the human rights organisation Our Spring and other organisations.

As the minister has said, the European Union is interested in strengthening its ties with Belarus, but certain countries, chiefly the Netherlands, want this offer to be conditional on future behaviour. ‘As the European Union, we are extending a hand [to Belarus], for example by suspending the visa ban on representatives of the regime. In return, the Netherlands expects clear progress over the next several months on democracy and human rights.’ Only then, said the minister, will it be possible to talk about lifting sanctions.

Mr Verhagen stressed that while the Netherlands may be critical about the regime in Minsk, it is actively committed to the Belarusian people. Through MATRA, a programme for social transformation in Eastern Europe, the Netherlands has been supporting civil society groups in the country for the last 15 years.



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