Lebedko: Inviting Lukashenka to EU summit to legitimize repressions in Belarus

Inviting Lukashenka to the founding summit of EU's Eastern Partnership policy will legitimize repressions in Belarus, Anatol Lebedko, the chairman of the opposition United Civic Party, and Alexander Kozulin, former political prisoner, told AFP in Strasbourg. The Belarusian politicians are in Europe to meet representatives of the European Parliament and the EU Council.  In the view of Lebedko, the invitation will become "an indulgence after the repressions in the past 15 years" and will the Belarus leader "a cart-blanch for the future". The politician has voiced support to the EU-Belarus dialogue, but noted that the dialogue "is developing under the rules of Lukashenka", while the opposition is left out.

Kozulin said that the visit of the Belarusian leader to Prague "would not be appropriate", because it would coincide with the events to commemorate the 1968 protests against the communist regime in the Czech capital, reports Belapan