CZECH FORMIN IN GERMANY FOR EU COMING CLOSER TO EAST EUROPE

Neris

18.03.2009

Berlin – Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg came out for a
conditional promotion of dialogue with Belarus and further countries
of "eastern partnership" and for integration of the wester Balkans
with the EU, in Bundestag today.

In an interview with CTK he said he would also like to see Turkey
becoming an EU member one day.

Schwarzenberg was explaining to the Bundestag foreign committee
members the efforts of the Czech Republic, current EU president,
at eastern partnership.

"Germany that is the strongest country of the European Union plays
a role in this. It is important for me that the foreign committee
stand on our side," Schwarzenberg explained why he went to Berlin in
between talks in Brussels.

Schwarzenberg told CTK that the Czech Republic reflects the "main
stream" of European thinking on Belarus.

"It is desirable that we establish a relationship with Belarus. We
should offer them a European alternative, but this requires that
Belarus change its behaviour towards its own citizens," Schwarzenberg
said.

Eastern partnership, one of Czech EU presidency priorities, is to
also embrace Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It
is to be launched at a summit in Prague on May 7.

EU-Belarus relations have seen a warm-up over the past fews past
months. On Monday EU foreign ministers extended the originally
half-year suspension of travel sanctions imposed on Belorusssian
representatives.

This means that also the autocratic president, Alexander Lukashenko,
could attend the Prague summit.

The Czech Republic as the EU president is interested in the integration
of as many as possible countries, particularly in the Balkans.

The German government’s strongest party, the Christian Democratic
Union (CDU), however, on Tuesday embedded in its European Parliament
election programme the opinion that the EU should now admit Croatia
and then take a longer time for its own consolidation during which
no new members would be admitted over a period of several years.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU is also opposed to Turkey’s
fully-fledged membership.

Schwarzenberg said today Prague’s stand is "entirely different."

"We believe that after Croatia we should be admitting further members
consistently according to their achievement and according to how they
implement reforms," Schwarzenberg said.

He said he would like practically all west Balkan countries to be
admitted. This means Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia
and Serbia.

Schwarzenberg said Turkey has not made any great progress in pushing
through reforms over the past two years and that a strong anti-Turkish
sentiment is apparent in Europe.

"Turkey has yet to do its reforms and it must settle its relations
with Cyprus," Schwarzenberg said.

"If we are serious about the European Union, they (Turks) should also
be part of the European Union," he said.