Against the background of the aggravated migration crisis on the eastern borders of the European Union, the Iraqi authorities decided to close the honorary consulates of Belarus in Baghdad and Erbil. This was reported on Saturday evening, November 6, by the Rojnews news agency and the online publication Shafaq. In addition, the Belarusian online edition Zerkalo.io writesthat the relevant information was confirmed to him by the Honorary Consul of Belarus in Erbil Fuad Hamad.
“The Iraqi side believes that this is just a misunderstanding. I believe that this is a bad reason for the closure of consulates. (Iraqi authorities… – Ed.) the decision, and we must respect it, “the publication quotes the diplomat.
Meanwhile, a video was posted on the Rojnews Twitter page showing how the Belarusian flag is being lowered. The scene is said to be played out in Erbil.
Migration crisis in the EU and Belarus
At the end of May 2021, the government of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, announced that Minsk would no longer detain illegal immigrants trying to get to the territory of the European Union through Belarus. After that, the border guards of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia began to report a noticeable increase in the number of foreigners trying to illegally cross the EU border from Belarus. Among such migrants, there are especially many citizens of Iraq, Iran and Syria.
The FRG authorities also reported on the increase in the flow of illegal migrants arriving in the country through Belarus and Poland.
A few weeks ago, the Polish authorities introduced an emergency situation (ES) on the border with Belarus. Warsaw accuses Lukashenka of deliberately transporting EU migrants for political pressure.
In early August, flights from Iraq to Minsk were suspended, later the Iraqi side began to take out fellow citizens from Belarus.
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History of relations between Belarus and the European Union
Stop at the start
Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Belarus and the European Union were established in August 1992. In March 1995, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) was signed in Brussels. But after the 1996 referendum, which dramatically expanded the powers of the president in the next 1997, the EU suspended the ratification of the agreement and imposed sanctions on the top Belarusian leadership.
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History of relations between Belarus and the European Union
Basis of disagreement
The disagreements between Brussels and Minsk are based on different assessments of the results of the Belarusian elections. Since 1996, the European Union does not consider them democratic due to the inconsistency with international norms. The 2004 referendum, which gave Alexander Lukashenko the opportunity to run for president without restrictions, was not recognized as legal either. The EU is also not satisfied with human rights violations and repressions against activists and journalists.
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History of relations between Belarus and the European Union
Sanctions for reprisals
Relations between Minsk and Brussels have seriously worsened after the dispersal of a protest rally on December 19, 2010, on election day. The liberalization of 2007-2008 culminated in the arrests of Lukashenka’s rivals and the trials of protesters. The EU lifted most of the sanctions imposed on Belarus after that only in February 2016 in response to the release of political prisoners.
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History of relations between Belarus and the European Union
Ambassador scandals
EU ambassadors have left Belarus twice. In June 1998, they were expelled from their residence in the village of Drozdy under the pretext of renovation near the Lukashenka’s residence. The diplomats returned only in January 1999. In February 2012, 27 EU ambassadors again left Minsk for 2 months as a sign of solidarity with the representative of Poland and the EU, whom the Belarusian side offered to go “to their capitals for negotiations.”
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History of relations between Belarus and the European Union
Cooperation in the “Eastern Partnership”
Back in 2009, Belarus, along with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, was invited to the EU’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) program. But it turned out that Minsk does not apply for integration into Europe, is interested exclusively in pragmatic cooperation in the economy and intends to adhere to one of the main priorities of the EaP – democratization.
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History of relations between Belarus and the European Union
Euronest – without deputies from Belarus
The 1st Euronest Parliamentary Assembly was held in May 2011 in Brussels without parliamentarians from Belarus. They were offended that together with 5 deputies from Belarus they invited 5 representatives of civil society. At the 6th session of Euronest in Kiev on October 30 – November 1, 2017, like others, there was also no official game, but a large group of oppositionists was invited from Minsk.
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History of relations between Belarus and the European Union
Minsk is not satisfied with the format
President Lukashenko did not go to the EaP summit in the fall of 2017, although he received an invitation for the first time after the lifting of sanctions. Official interpretation – the format of cooperation does not imply a high level of representation. The delegation was headed by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei. Observers explain the refusal to travel by the lack of bonuses, which Lukashenka hopes, and by the fear of Moscow’s anger.
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History of relations between Belarus and the European Union
There is cooperation, but there is no contract
Belarus is the only one of the 6 EaP countries that does not have a cooperation agreement with the EU. Relations are still governed by the 1989 agreement between the USSR and the European Economic Community. Minsk would like to sign the Partnership Priorities program with Brussels. This agreement from the association agreement does not establish deep forms of interaction.
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History of relations between Belarus and the European Union
Economic partnership
For Belarus, the European Union is the second most important trading partner after Russia. The EU accounts for a third of the country’s total trade. Mainly oil products are exported. Trade with the EU in the 1st quarter of 2017 increased by 5.6% compared to the same period last year, to $ 2.9 billion. The surplus is $ 302 million. True, over the previous 3 years, the volume of trade fell by almost half.
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History of relations between Belarus and the European Union
Help from the European Union
From 2014 to 2017, the EU aid package for Belarus amounted to 91.5 million euros. Joint projects are funded in the field of environmental protection, energy, and border development. National Human Rights Plan. Negotiations on visa facilitation and readmission are underway. There is an Erasmus + program for students and teachers.
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History of relations between Belarus and the European Union
Simplification of the visa regime
On April 9, 2020, President of Belarus Lukashenko signed a law, the adoption of which completed the process of ratification of the agreement with the European Union on visa facilitation. Among other things, it provides for a reduction in the cost of the Schengen value for Belarusians to 35 euros and the establishment of the deadline for making a decision on issuing a visa – 10 days.
Author: Galina Petrovskaya